Down the Line
by female fogbank
Summary: Time Traveller Fic* AU set over 8 months after the last episode.. Lucas survived the two bullets to the chest thanks to Lt Washington's medical expertise. Now he has found a fracture back to the 22nd Century.. Whatever will happen? Read and see! Lucas/OC. Wash/?.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Never Fear! I have not given up on my current story 'Game Change' I will still be updating it weekly until it concludes… This story will be updated fortnightly and when 'Game Change' is complete this story will be updated weekly. Just so we are all on the same page! I just had to start posting as the idea is running around in my head like an annoying song! Also the purple box thingo I called it a 'module' or 'plex module'..not correct but if anyone has a better name I'll use it! Also not a medical doctor/soldier/physicist…Please Enjoy!_

_~Disclaimer: I own nothing!~_

* * *

Chapter 1

Deep in the badlands, the hot afternoon sun shone down on the desolate space. Lucas felt the sweat drip down his back as he held his violet plex module. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his forearm as he exhaled slowly. He, Mira, and Major Hooper with five phoenix soldiers had driven into the badlands in a rover and two rhinos to the location where Lucas had previously detected micro time fractures in his spare hours when he needed to get away from the camp.

The beauty of the time fractures was they were easy to find but making a wedge to open on and make a stable connection/portal was difficult part. Hence the terminus and the precise calculations there was a definite art to it all.

Lucas used the module as a remote control and activated the terminus. The wind blowing dust and hot air around the small group as the fracture opened.

He monitored the readings on his module. His hand was on the finger drives as he slowly manipulated the fracture to open in the terminus. The micro fracture was incredibly fragile, he watched the readings projected in the air above the module, the fracture was to 21st like so many fractures in the badlands this one didn't go to 22nd century which was what they needed.

If they walked through a fracture to an earlier time they could change the future. Something Lucas knew was irresponsible, there was no way of guaranteeing that it would change in their favour whereas if they could connect to 2150 then there was a chance of building up another army, more funding and coming back better prepared and finally finish the mess they started. _Get rich and live the dream,_ Lucas thought sardonically. The money was irrelevant it was a matter of pride for Lucas. The goal was to finally and publicly dethrone his father from his precious colony and watch as Lucas destroyed his dreams and allowed the future stripped Terra Nova for all its resources. It wasn't a dream for Lucas it was just one of his many goals. In Lucas's opinion dreams were just unattainable goals.

Today was just a dry run, a test, so what time the fracture went to was irrelevant. He had repaired the damage to the terminus as best as he could with the supplies they had. He wanted to make sure it didn't blow up when they made a connection to the one fracture he had found to the 22nd Century but the radio spectrum was more advanced than the previous fracture. It was how his module could date the fractures it was from their radio spectrum. It picked up on frequencies government and military agencies used in that time period.

He couldn't believe it when he found the fracture but to his amazement the fracture was there and a continuous message had been sent over and over. A data burst from 2157, it was marked for any survivors of Terra Nova. Apparently a lot had happened after the first fracture had completely collapsed and Hope Plaza been destroyed. They sent all the information they had on the current fracture they said they were having difficulties in opening and maintaining a stable connection as the fracture was incredibly degraded on their side. They sent plans on how to build a new terminus with calculations to help a Luddite open a two way portal to their time. They believed if the portal was opened on Lucas's side to the future it would hopefully be stable enough for two directional travelling.

He had informed the others of the find to give them hope and to shut up their whining since they had been in the badlands for over 8 months. It hadn't been easy they had an established camp 4 hours drive from where the many of the fractures were in the edge of the forest near a cliff face.

They had lost a good number of the phoenix soldiers to Carno and nykorapter attacks the first 3 months while they set up tree huts to live in. Lucas didn't remember much from that time as he had been recovering from two bullets to the chest. But then he wouldn't have missed them anyway as he was glad for lesser number of soldiers, less people complaining and more food for him and the others who were actually pulled their weight. He had told him he found a fracture to the 22nd century he just left out what year. It wasn't worth telling them until he knew he could open a stable connection.

"It looks stable" Hooper said from Lucas's left shoulder. One man Lucas wished had been lost in those first few months.

"Looks can be deceiving" Lucas said tactfully as he really wanted ask the man where he got his PhD. in Physics and Mathematics to make such an assumption from the reading he was reading at the moment. But he held his tongue as he continued to work his 'magic' with the terminus.

* * *

"Damn it" Amelia said after a flash lightening blinded her night vision momentarily and sound of thunder boomed loudly a mere second later. She drove her bright yellow '97' Daihatsu Mira through torrential rain. No one warned the weather would turn torrential, she was drenched from head to toe and she had taken her ballet flats before running in the rain to her car.

She felt like an idiot as she had dressed up in her favourite white ¾ sleeve motorcycle jacket with epilates, a nice loose white singlet top, her favourite bootcut jeans that had a few tears and new white and yellow floral patterned ballet flats for the cute guy who worked at the information desk hoping to catch his eye but he hadn't looked at her twice. She had honey brown hair with natural caramel highlights out in loose curls. A big fail on the guy front but at least she got in 4 hours of solid studying and several books she needed for her visual arts project and for mathematics extension, she needed all the help she could get as she was taking applied physics at University as a pathways into her future degree options.

The rain bucketed down in sheets pounding the car, Amelia heard her mobile start shouting as the mp3 she programmed for her mother's calls. Her mother hated it, it was a recording of a Army cadence called 'They say that in the Army'. The cadence continued as her mother kept calling. Amelia listened to the men half singing half shouting the cadence and frowned as it just reminded her how much in trouble she was.

Amelia knew without a doubt her mother was going to ground her for a year, no she'd take the car which would be right considering it took Amelia over a year to save for it and wait for her mother to be stationed somewhere long enough for her to buy what was essentially a coca cola can with wheels. It had no air conditioner, no airbags, no power steering and its sound system was a cassette deck. She was sure back in 1997 this car was probably the coolest thing around but in 2012 it was what her older brother so lovingly called a 'clown car', it definitely didn't elevate her social status but at least it got her from A to B, cheap on the petrol and it was very easy to park.

She was barely driving 40km/hr as the rain bucketed down, Lightening flashed again. She was late for dinner as she had been studying for her mid semester exams at the local university library. She was always studying, always doing something school or sports related. Her mother the Colonel was a stickler to the credo of 'Be the best that you can be'.

Apparently being the best meant you couldn't go to parties or have much of a social life. Amelia tried to not to let it get to her, she reminded herself constantly in 4 months she would finish her HSC and settle into university for four to 6 years and finally find a balance she missed in life. To not be constantly moving around, to have a permanent address, to put a nail in a wall and hang a photo, paint the walls something other than off white and taupe. That was her dream.

* * *

"What's happening?" Hooper demanded as he watched a stable portal become erratic. It had taken 6 long months to get to this point and now what was looking like a way back to 2150 was slowly slipping away. His men were short on patience and Lucas's failure to make a stable portal back to 2150 was taking its toll.

"I don't know, something is wrong" Lucas said stating the obvious, he felt annoyed at Hooper standing at his shoulder pretending he understood what Lucas was doing when it was well above Hooper's level of comprehension. The man was an idiot, a dumb grunt with a gun and Lucas couldn't wait for them part ways. It was stressful enough trying to maintain a connection with the fracture without Hooper annoying him.

"Fix it" Hooper told him, Lucas fought the urge to roll his eyes and took a deep breath.

"If it were that easy then you would be able to do it. Now do me a favour and step ba-" Lucas stopped as he watched the Portal distorted and flashed a second later he jumped out of the way as a small yellow automobile hurtled through and smashed into the left front end of the rover he had previously been standing in front of.

The portal snapped out of existence as the terminus overloaded and the circuitry boards exploded but no one noticed as all eyes were on the small yellow automobile.

A moment passed as the group stood stunned at what had occurred before Hooper ordered his men to put out the fire in the Terminus circuitry. Lucas deactivated his module and closed the lid and placed it in the rover before he moved to the automobile. Knowing the Terminus was beyond repair so he might as well indulge his curiosity.

The left front of the yellow automobile had completely crumpled into the rover. Smoke stemmed from the engine block along with the strong smell of motor oil and Petrol or what he assumed to be petrol as he had never smelt it before only read about in school. How it was the beginning of the end when Petrol was used by motorists and factories led to the world being choked by the pollution.

He wiped the water off the roof of the car before he leaned over and looked through the rain water streaked window and saw a body in the driver's seat. It looked like a young woman from the looks of it. He ran around the car to the other side to get a better look and tapped on the window to get her attention as he saw her move her head slightly, her face was covered in blood as she looked incredibly dazed.

When she didn't respond to the tapping and her head drooped again he pulled his sonic pistol from his shoulder holster grabbed it by the barrel and shielded his face with his arm as he smashed out the back passenger seat window. When the window glass was cleared he reached in, unlocked and opened the driver's side door. He cursed as he saw she was jammed between the driver's seat and the steering wheel with a bad laceration to her leg, he called for a med kit and a laser saw. He wasn't sure what was driving him to save her but he knew better than to ignore his instincts.

* * *

Amelia groaned as she slowly came to, everything felt far away to her, the noise of tapping and glass shattering. She struggled to open her eyes as her brain would not clear up, her body pounded with pain too much pain as she tried to perform the simplest of tasks. She didn't understand why everything was taking so long to function. She barely registered the voices around her and the blast of hot dry air into the car as the driver's door was open until she saw a scruffily looking deeply tanned man with green eyes knelt down outside the car talking to her.

His mouth was moving but she couldn't quite hear the words he was saying, she tried to focus on his words but her brain was not computing. She closed her eyes and when she opened them was completely disorientated as she was no longer sitting in her car but lying in the back seat of another vehicle she heard muffled voices around her and the roar of the engine. Telling her she was in a moving vehicle as she felt every bump and rock the vehicle hit. They were probably taking her to the hospital. She closed her eyes again succumbing to sleep as her body didn't want to be conscious.

When she woke again she found she was lying in a cot, looking up at canvas roofing. She didn't feel any pain just tightness in her body and that her world was a trapped bubble, one stuffy and hot bubble as she lolled her head to the side she saw two men arguing loudly but the words weren't clear to her. She turned her head to the other side and saw a woman come towards her. She was beautiful with raven black hair, lightly tanned skin as Amelia did and soft dark brown eyes, she laid a cool hand on Amelia's forehead and it felt like heaven. She said something to her but Amelia frowned as her ears just couldn't translate the words. Amelia tried to speak but her mouth wouldn't comply as she was dragged back into a state of unconsciousness again.

* * *

3 days later, Lucas walked into the makeshift infirmary to check on his newest 'responsibility'. Hooper had become a right royal pain in his ass about bringing the young woman back to their camp. He said she was heavily injured and they didn't have the resources to keep her around even if she did recover. Lucas had held out for a second opinion, the opinion coming from Lt Alicia Washington their current Prisoner and highest ranking Medical officer.

Apparently Mira had decided to be a vindictive bitch, knowing his Father's attachment to his XO. Mira had made sure to pack up Lt Washington's body with them as they left Terra Nova. She knew Taylor would be crushed at not being able to bury his precious Lieutenant's body, laying her to rest and it would forever burn him. The Lieutenant hadn't been a very good guest of theirs the first few weeks she had been unconscious probably a good thing considering the massive trauma from the sonic blast to the head but she recovered with help from Carter. The two had a past history Lucas didn't care to listen to, all he knew was that Carter was her 'protector' and no other man was allowed to touch her. Not that anyone was stupid enough to try as Alicia had no qualms killing a phoenix soldier.

At first she of course tried to escape, many times attempted to escape and killed a few men in the process but once they placed the neck cuff on her she tempered and played her duties as their medical officer. It was after the ninth time they dragged her unconscious body back to camp that she finally gave into the role. The metal neck cuff had a tracker in it, when Alicia left the designated zone of the camp it would sound an alarm and alert Lucas, Carter, Hooper that she had left the zone, it would also send an electrical charge through the cuff and incapacitate her.

He moved to the cot the young woman, _no_ he mentally corrected, _she is Amelia Jones, 17 yrs old hitting 18 in 3 months, 5ft 3, blood type O negative, She has an international driver's licence document along with her American passport, she likes sports, photography and art along with many high school text books that told him she was finishing high school and dabbling in first year University courses_ he reminded himself this to make her seem more human, more real to him. He didn't know why he was driven to help her or why he should even care but he did. He had gone through all of her belongings Carter had retrieved from the car wreck. He looked at the out of date literature on applied physics, flicking through her visual arts diary and A3 portfolio of black and white photos. Getting to know her, as if preparing himself for the time when he'd have to tell her 'The life you know is over'.

He had also spent many hours of the last three days buried in the readings and the calculation trying to figure out how she even crossed the fracture to his time. He racked his brain trying to figure out what exactly had happened. He played the moments over in his head; he had been trying to open a fracture to see if the terminus was functioning, a dry run with the new calculations to make a two way portal, he didn't even open it wide enough in his opinion for something to come through. Sure a bird or something small but certainly not an antiquated motor vehicle with a person inside. Something on her side must have wedged it open wide enough to pass, or a power surge.

His eyes had gone wide as he remembered the rain on her car, a true fluke of nature. It explained why the terminus promptly overloaded and exploded. The power surge from a large bolt of lightning surged the system and opened the portal and the poor young woman driving her car went straight through the fracture to his time. When he had explained his theory to Hooper the soldier looked at him blankly and asked about the progress on the Terminus to which made Lucas wish he was surrounded by intelligent company who would appreciate what he was saying and trying to do than demand timetables and schedules.

He stood at the end of the cot looking at Amelia as Lt Washington placed a new IV bag before going through the motions of checking Amelia's vitals. She had been stripped of her clothing and cleaned up and clothed in a spare man's shirt, Amelia looked incredibly small and fragile with her slender, delicate bone structure that were covered in lean and toned muscles. Her skin was incredibly pale and covered in a heavy sheen of sweat as her delicate facial features were slightly pinched in pain. Her left eye was severely swollen and her left cheek bruised and also swollen from where she had smacked her head on the steering wheel. Her eyes kept fluttering open and closing like she trying to wake up but the effort was too much.

It made a strong contrast from the healthy smiling young woman in the passport photo with long wavy honey brown hair and natural caramel highlights and a healthy lightly tanned skin. Her dark brown eyes sparkling like someone had told her a funny joke. There were also photos on her digital camera of her with another guy who he assumed was her brother as they shared similar facial features like high cheek bones, narrow chin, narrow nose, same hair and eye colour but that's where the similarities ended as her brother's features were more masculine and stronger with thin lips, she had a softer face with lush lips that made her face more balanced than her sibling's. The photos were of them goofing around making stupid faces and smiling while the other photos in her camera were of architecture and crowds of people and nature all random with no obvious theme to them.

Alicia had informed him of Amelia's other injuries broken ribs, whiplash bruise from the seat belt and lacerations to her legs from where the metal of the front of the car crumpled in on her. Most of the lacerations were superficial except for one large laceration up the side of her left leg that had been deep which was the source of her major blood loss and current infection.

"How is she?" Lucas asked. Alicia looked up at Lucas from her knelt position on the ground.

"Delirious with a high fever, her infection has grown more severe. Carter claims that the 'Jungle remedy' that we applied to her leg wound will fix it up. Hooper has refused to give us some antibiotics as all medical supplies are restricted for his soldiers only" Alicia told him with a disapproving tone. She picked up a washcloth that had been sitting in a small bowl of fresh water and wrung the water out. She folded the cloth and placed it on Amelia's forehead, the young woman mumbled something unintelligible and her features softened in temporary relief from the cool temperature of the cloth.

"Is it working?" Lucas asked as he moved to the vacant side of the cot and knelt down to look at Amelia more closely. He had to squint slightly as the bright sun was shining down from a gap in the branches and a small hole in the canvas roofing he made a note to inform Carter about it later.

"Only been two hours, apparently it's too soon to tell" Alicia remarked sceptical that the 'remedy' would indeed work or if was just supposed to make death a little more bearable. Alicia flipped the cloth and pressed it gently onto Amelia's forehead and held her hand murmuring words of comfort.

"What has she been saying?" Lucas asked as Alicia sat back on her feet. He noted the fatigue in the woman's face and knew the Lieutenant had vested interest in the young woman in the bed. Amelia kept mumbling and struggling to breathe.

"Mostly pleading, she doesn't understand and that it's hot. What are you going to do with her?" Alicia asked as she watched Lucas lay a gentle hand feeling the heat radiate off Amelia's skin.

"I don't know, but she's my responsibility. I will try and get you the medical supplies you need. Tell me what you need" Lucas said he knew he could barter with Hooper. He didn't know Hooper had restricted medicine for his men. Lucas unlike Alicia had pull. He was the only one who could open the fracture and get Hooper home.

"If you dropped her off at the edge of the boundary of the colony and sent up a flare the soldiers would find her. She'd be taken to the infirmary and get the proper medical attention" Alicia said.

"Nice try Lieutenant. You and I both know that I'd have to take you on the excursion to monitor her, you never give up on returning to my father do you?" Lucas asked.

"I never give up on returning to my unit and to my home" Alicia corrected him. Lucas knew Lt Washington was not involved with his father in anything more than a platonic manner. They had been close friends for years something that Lucas was envious of as he once upon a time wished he had such a relationship with his father. But it was never going to happen.

"Yet they gave up on you, not even one search party to recover your body. I guess the 'We never leave a soldier behind' are just meaningless words my father prattles to keep you all loyal to him" Lucas said he knew he hit the mark with his comment as he saw a flash of pain and betrayal flicker through her eyes before she looked away.

"Antibiotics, bio dressings, ice gel packs, rally packs.. sorry IV bag that looks like the one I've hung up" Alicia said in a resigned tone as she gestured to the IV drip bag. Lucas nodded getting to his feet. He took one last look at Amelia before he left.

* * *

Amelia was trapped, she couldn't see anything but darkness as she was being slowly suffocated by sweltering heat that scorched her skin and blistered her lungs. She tried to cry out in agony but her lungs would seize and her body wouldn't comply. She felt a cool hand stroke her forehead. Restlessly she sought more.

"Please," she gasped, and groaned with relief as someone answered her plea as she felt sweet cold relief she turned and felt a hand on her arm pull her back. She turned and suddenly the darkness lifted and she was in the desert. She looked to the owner of the hand on her arm.

"It's ok, you'll be ok" It was the woman with raven black hair and brown eyes, she pointed behind Amelia "See" she said.

Amelia turned her head but saw nothing other than empty desertscape. She frowned and when she turned back to say just as much to the woman, Amelia felt the ground beneath her give out and she fell dropping into what felt like a pool of water. She kicked her legs finding they didn't function, her lungs burned from the lack of air but she didn't give up. She reached her hands up above her head struggling to swim her way to the surface.

* * *

"I thought you said this 'remedy' would work" Alicia told Carter as she, Lucas and Carter struggled to keep Amelia still. The young woman started struggling against them and gasping for air.

"Did I forget to mention the slightly hallucinogenic properties of the bark in said remedy?" Carter asked innocently as he held Amelia's legs down.

"Remind me to kick your ass later" Alicia gritted out.

"Will you kiss it better after the kicking?" Carter asked her as Amelia stopped struggling and calmed down.

"No" Alicia told him. Lucas ignored their conversation as he helped Alicia right Amelia's bedding, Alicia checked the bandages on Amelia's leg while Lucas replaced the gel ice packs on Amelia's body. She was completely delirious and the cold temperature of the gel packs seemed to kick-start her in some weird dreamscape or hallucination as it was hard to tell if she was awake or asleep.

"I hate these brown tiles" Amelia mumbled as her fingers gripped his shirt front.

* * *

"I hate these brown tiles" she mumbled to herself as she laid in a puddle of water on what looked like the bathroom of the house she and her mother were currently residing. She watched steam rise off the floor and the room was like a sauna. She pushed herself off the ground water dripped off her body onto the floor. She moved to the vanity and used it to pull herself up to her feet properly. Her head spun from the movement but she didn't stop herself as she wiped the steam off the mirror in front of her.

She saw a figure standing in the fog behind her she couldn't see his face as the steam obscured her view. She gripped the edge of the sink, her eyes not moving from figure behind her. Fear spread through her, her heart quickened in panic until she turned.

* * *

"Shh you're safe" Lucas murmured to Amelia in a low voice. The irony of what he was saying was not lost. She was far from being safe. Carter had gone to get Alicia's meal while Alicia had started going through the supplies he had acquired. Amelia had calmed down for a few moments but now she was starting to panic, her breath coming in short gasps as she trembled in the bed. The hand that he hadn't removed from his shirt front twisted and pulled on the fabric.

"No, don't leave me. You only got here" she pleaded in a breathless voice, he knew she was out of her mind and it was not a personal request but it didn't stop him from assuring her.

"I'm not going anywhere" he assured her, he gently stroked the side of her face in a gesture his mother used to do to him when he was ill to comfort him. Amelia mumbled unintelligibly but seemed to

* * *

TBC~ I'll be updating in 2 weeks, Please let me know your thoughts/suggestions! Please don't flame me :-)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amelia woke up with a start as she felt sure she was still dreaming even though her thoughts were far more coherent that they were previously and pain radiated through her. She was supposed to wake up in a white sterile environment of a hospital with her brother or mom sitting in a nearby chair. Instead she found herself lying in a small wooden cot, in a dimly lit room if it could be called a room. It was more like a large cubby house in a tree as Amelia lifted her head slightly and looked around the place. There were no walls just railing made of wood and the roof looked to be brown canvas material. There were several cots and a few tables lined with supplies and a few chairs scattered around like a makeshift infirmary.

She noted she wasn't alone as a man lounged in a chair at the end of the bed asleep. She didn't recognise him but then she wasn't in a hospital, he was deeply tanned, his face was unshaven like he hadn't seen a razor in a few days and his hair dishevelled. She started to think he was kind of cute for a random stranger who had taken her from her car to his tree house and then thoughts of why he hadn't taken her to the hospital ran through her head. _No sane person brings you to their tree house to nurse you back to health! Get up Amelia before you make the 6 o'clock news as the poor American girl who was murdered and dismembered in the Australian Bushland by some random psycho_… She thought grimly as she had to get up and make her escape before he woke up.

She gingerly looked down at her body, she tried to remember how she got here, wherever here was but her memories were foggy. She remembered driving in the rain, being late for curfew and a flash of lightening then her car hitting something. The sound of crumpled metal and hitting her head on the steering wheel, the seatbelt yanking her back into her seat, then dreams that were really strange and blackness she stopped the thoughts as it wasn't helping her. Only making head ache worse.

She tentatively touched her face wincing as her cheek felt swollen and bruised, she looked at her hands that were a little scratched up but not damaged as she started checking herself over. She pulled on the man's shirt and lifted it grimacing at the dark bruise and welt across her torso and lack of bra. _I've been rescued by a pervert… My mom is going to kill me._ She thought as she sat up. She pressed her lips together tightly to suppress her urge to cry out in pain. She saw her leg was bandaged and wriggled her toes wincing from the pan but she knew it wasn't broken. She closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths.

"You shouldn't be sitting up" a deep male voice said.

Amelia's eyes snapped open and saw he was awake. So much for her escape before she was murdered and dismembered by the Psycho Killer who was probably going to keep her bra as a trophy. A nice one too as it was Victoria Secrets, skin tone with pretty lace. At least she still had her knickers on.

"Where am I? What happened?" Amelia asked.

"It's a long story" he said getting up from his chair, he was a tall man as he towered over her. She had to stop herself from staring at him and remind herself he might have mesmerising green eyes..._ Focus Amelia...remember you're in his tree dwelling not a hospital about to praise him for being your hero..._ she scolded herself silently.

"Why did you bring me here? I need a hospital. Where's my necklace?" She asked as she felt her neck and winced as her hand connected with the bruise on her chest from the seat belt.

"You need to lie back and drink some water. Your necklace is in the bag with your other clothes by the table over there" he said gesturing to a table across the room as he crouch down and pulled a water canteen. Amelia took a few easy sips as she was parched. She figured she had nothing to lose at the moment in playing into his fantasy before he murdered her. Stall for time and hope the authorities found her.

"Are you going to kill me?" She casually blurted out after she took another generous sip of water and handed the canteen back to him. She had meant to say 'Thanks I had enough' but her mouth had other thoughts. His eyes went wide for a second as he was equally shocked by the question before he laughed.

"No, I'm not going to kill you and I have no plans on molesting you either" he informed her as he placed the canteen to the side and helped her lay back down. She exhaled slowly as her body gave a sigh of relief to lie down, her pain in her chest easing.

"Then why didn't you take me to the hospital? I was in the middle of suburbia and I crashed…" Amelia looked up at him as she remembered him. "You pulled me out of my car. Why didn't you take me to the hospital?"

"There are no hospitals here"

"Where is here? Because I was on a main road in Sydney, I highly doubt there wasn't one hospital between where I crashed and wherever this is. If this is some kind of kidnap-"

"We haven't kidnapped you"

"Then I don't understand"

"Maybe if you stopped running your mouth for a couple of minutes then I could tell you"

"Sorry, I'm not usually this talkative" Amelia mumbled it was true she didn't talk much but that was because she spent most of her time reading books and studying. She socialised through sports and art but since she had moved to Australia she had yet to make any new friends as she had come in the middle of the semester. She hated it like she did every time they moved as everyone had their clique and weren't ready to take her into the fold yet.

The only time she was truly talkative was around her brother as her mother didn't talk unless it was about school and even then she didn't want the details she only wanted to know Amelia's marks and her progression in her studies and if she needed a tutor etc.

"Somehow I doubt that" Lucas said, Amelia looked at him waiting for him to explain. "This is going to be hard to swallow but what I'm telling you is the truth" he said. He sat on the cot next to hers. He had been thinking about how he was going to tell her what he had found out these past 8 days she had been lying in that bed. He had been in and out of the tree dwelling much to Alicia's annoyance which amused him to no end as she was the prisoner. She had no rights only privileges she earned. He had looked over the Terminus and the reading outs.

He took a deep breath and then told her everything, he started with where they were as in 85 million years ago give or take a few thousand years. He explained how he came from the future and the time fracture. He pulled out his plex and handed it to her so she had physical evidence of advanced technology in her hands with all the details in it. He used the plex as a tool to help him explain it to her.

He explained how they were in a separate time line to their own. His work, he omitted the parts about his father and Terra Nova, only telling her the reasons for his jaunt into the past was to focus on opening the portal to go both ways. She didn't need to know about his father and his colony or the rest of the story. All she needed to know was that she had come through another fracture from her time to here and she was here to stay.

"Then can't you just send me back?" Amelia asked.

"I can't, the fracture you came through has completely collapsed"

"It's gone?"

"Yes"

"Find another one"

"It's not that simple, I can't detect fractures to their exact chronological time index. I can only get it close if I found another fracture to the 21st century it could be anytime between 2000 and 2100. I can't send you back. I could end up sending you into your past or into the future. Either results would be undesirable and interfere with the natural development of our timeline. You're staying here, I won't risk the ramifications to my life in the future by sending you back" He told her.

"You have no right to decide my life for me. I have a future-"

"Had a future in 2012 not anymore, your future is here"

"No, I'm not going to listen to this anymore." Amelia said as she turned onto her side and pushed off the bed to an upright position and swung her legs over the side of the cot. Pain shot through her body and her head spun but she was not going to let it stop her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lucas asked as he got to his feet.

"Home" Amelia said as she tried to stand up. It took her a couple of tries and her groaning in pain but she managed to get to her feet. He grabbed her elbow as she swayed, her legs were barely keeping her up.

"How do you suppose you'll get there?" he asked as she feebly tried to push him away.

"I'll walk" She told him. He gave her a humourless smile as he grabbed her other arm so that she was facing him.

"You could walk to the ends of the earth and you'll never get back to your timeline" He told her firmly.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why won't you help me?!" She demanded as she hit his chest with her fists. He took the hits taking the poultry pain as she continued to call him a liar among other unflattering names while demanding he let her go home letting her get it out of her system. After a few moments he lost patience as grabbed her by the wrists getting her attention.

"I can't help you" he said.

"No. You _won't_ help me big difference!" She corrected angrily.

"Semantics it doesn't change anything, what happened was an unfortunate accident that can't be repaired. You have to accept that you'll never see your family, friends or home ever again. Your life as you knew it is over. Accept it, it will be easier in the long run" He told her in a cold and stern voice. Her whole being burned with anger and grief as he stared her down with no sympathy, no guilt over how he had destroyed her life. He watched as her eyes welled up and tears continued to streak down her face.

Amelia gave a cry of raw anger and unbearable pain that cut deep within her. Her knees buckled and Lucas quickly wrapped his arms around her holding her to him. He felt every pain she felt as continue to cry out and struggle in his arms trying to push him away until she finally surrendered and slumped in his arms.

After all the tears were spent Lucas lifted her back into the bed pulling the light blanket over her as she looked anywhere but at him. He deserved it. It was his decision and his actions that landed her in his world, she was entitled to hate. He winced as the blood seeped through the bandages on her leg she had pulled the stitches. Unluckily in Lucas's opinion Alicia and Carter had shown up. But it was for the best as he didn't want her bleeding to death.

"Hey, we come bearing food and-" Carter stopped short at the sight as Lucas had a busted lip from an errant punch.

"What happened here?" Alicia demanded as she was looking at the blood on the floor and to Amelia's leg. She didn't care about Lucas as her only concern was the girl.

"She tried to get up and pulled some stitches" Lucas informed Alicia who pushed him out of the way and moved to Amelia's side. She gently brushed the hair out of the girl's face.

"Hey, my name's Alicia. Can you tell me your name?" Alicia asked her in a kind and friendly voice.

"Amelia Jones" Amelia said. Alicia looked to Lucas and Carter.

"No offence but could you guys give us some privacy?" Alicia asked.

"Lucas, Hooper was looking for you" Carter said, Lucas rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I will return later" Lucas said before leaving the room. Carter tossed Alicia a small cylinder before he left the room. Alicia turned her attention back to Amelia.

"Amelia is a pretty name, listen I have some medicine for your leg wound it's going to burn like hell but when it's only for a few seconds and then your leg will be healed. Ok?" Alicia told her as she shook up the bottle Cater had given her.

"Ok" Amelia said not understanding what Alicia was saying except that her wound would be healed. She didn't care, the guy who hadn't even told her his name had told her that her life was over, that she would never see her family again and she was supposed to care about a stupid wound or anything.

She felt the bandage being cut off her leg and looked up at the sky seeing the clouds floating by. Then she felt the burn she hissed in pain and looked down at her leg as Alicia held a firm had on the leg stopping her from moving it. Within seconds the pain subsided and the wound was completely healed not even a scar was left behind.

"How are you feeling?" Alicia asked her as she placed the lid on the bottle.

"Everything hurts but the leg is better" Amelia said.

"Ok well you should be careful, you have fractured ribs and possibly a fractured cheekbone not to mention the bruises that are still healing" Alicia told her.

"I'm stuck here" Amelia said tears streaking down her face.

"Yes you have no way of getting back to your time but you are not stuck here, you can escape" Alicia corrected her. Amelia looked at her confused as to what she was saying and because she had a bad headache from crying.

"What?" Amelia asked.

"See this?" Alicia said she pointed to the metal cuff on her neck "Once it goes on you are a prisoner and you will be stuck out here but right now you have a real chance to escape. There is a colony full of good people who will take you in and take care of you" she told her.

"What are you talking about?" Amelia said.

"Tonight, Carter is going to take you to the camp's edge and give you supplies and a map. It may take a few days or weeks but you can reach one of the outposts and then Commander Taylor will pick you up and take you to the Colony. You'll have a better life there than staying here" Alicia told her.

"So this is not the only group out here?"

"No…" Alicia said she told Amelia about the Colony and the original mission statement of Terra Nova, what they all had been led to believe even Lucas's part in trying to destroy it. That it was what he and the group they were currently with were here to reopen the portal back to Alicia's time and bring more reinforcements and wipe out the colony and then strip mine the place for all its natural resources.

"…So you see you might be stuck in the past as least in the Colony you have a chance of living your life. If you tell them where we are then Commander Taylor will also be able to front an attack and I'll be rescued, our futures here will be safe. Do you understand?" Alicia asked. Amelia didn't know what to say. Alicia was practically pleading with her to run into a jungle full of wild creatures and god knows what to find a colony that sounded like paradise compared to where they were now.

She felt overwhelmed by it all. She wished she could literally go back in time and stayed in the library longer or not go at all. That she could have avoided it all.

"Yes, I understand"

"I know it's a lot to take it but-" Alicia stopped as the sound four people's footfalls sounded as they entered into the dwelling. She moved to Amelia's leg and quickly covered the healed flesh with bandages and the blanket. They watched as a short and stocky built man with brown hair and military uniform entered the room with another man dressed in similar uniform but with blond hair, taller and leaner in build behind him carrying a box. The other two solders similar build to the blond but they had brown hair, he held a some kind of gun and pointed it at Alicia. The other had his gun pointed at Amelia.

"Lieutenant hands on your head slowly and step away from the bed slowly" the stocky built soldier said. Alicia reluctantly got to her feet with hands on her head and moved away as the soldier with the rifle kept it pointed at her. Amelia looked to the stocky soldier.

"Well aren't you a pretty little thing even with a bruised face" he commented looking her over, Amelia felt her skin crawl and unconsciously pulled the blanket up to cover herself. He gave a quirk of the lips as he motioned to the soldier with the box. The blond soldier opened the box.

"My name is Major Hooper, stand up" he told Amelia.

"She can't stand up her leg is still healing" Alicia told him.

"Yes but Carter pilfered the medical stores for you. You think I didn't see him lurking around" Hooper asked as he pulled the blanket off Amelia. It was clear as the bandage gone and her wounds gone the only evidence of the wound was the dried blood on her skin. "Stand up or I'll help you up" he told her, the way his eyes roved her body made her skin crawl. She noted his eyes at her bust line and her hand went to close the front of the shirt to cover herself from his eyes as best she could in the shirt. She stood up and winced from the muscle fatigue and how she wished she was wearing more than a shirt.

"Good girl" Hooper said in a patronising tone as though she were a puppy that just performed a trick. She hugged herself as Hooper circled her. She looked to Alicia for some sort of direction or silent advice but the woman was watching Hooper with unveiled anger and hatred.

"How old are you?" Hooper asked as he circled to face her again. He picked up a strand of her hair and making her pull back, she watched as he let go of her hair.

"17" Amelia replied eyeing him like the danger he was to her well being. Hooper nodded and turned to the blond soldier with box, he motioned and the soldier stepped forward and Hooper opened the box.

"Let's clear up any confusion before it happens" Hooper said as he lifted a metal neck cuff exactly the same as Alicia's out of the box. "You are a Prisoner in this camp, your movements will be tracked and limited. Lieutenant Washington is intimately aware of the range of area you have movement in and if you accidently step out of the range you will be incapacitated by an electrical charge and dragged back. There is no escape" Hooper said as he moved toward her with the neck cuff. Amelia took a step back only for Hooper click his tongue in disapproval.

"Don't make this harder than it is. I have no qualms in killing you. So you decide the collar or death" he told her. He looked to the soldier with his gun pointed at her. Hooper moved forward and this time she didn't move away, she would rather live than die in the jungle because she refused to put on a collar. Her mother always told her to choose her battles and know when to surrender.

Hooper wore a satisfied smile as he snapped the cuff onto Amelia's slender neck. Her stomach rolled as he even fixed her hair looking down at her.

"Good choice, now onto the rules. Everyone pulls their own weight. You must have some skills or knowledge that can be utilised. If you don't pull your weight then my men and I will find a use for you and I promise you won't enjoy it as much as we will" he told her.

* * *

"You told me you wouldn't cuff her" Lucas said in a dark tone to Hooper who was sitting behind a makeshift desk with his feet propped up and eating and apple with a knife.

"I said I wouldn't kill her, I did not agree to not cuffing her. Lieutenant Washington stole medical supplies, Derma spray to be exact and to heal a minor leg wound of some nobody chick from the 21st century. As far as I'm concerned the cuff is necessary, she might be your responsibility but I'm not an idiot to think she won't do a runner. Like all bitches she needs discipline and boundaries and to understand that we are her masters and we are to be obeyed" Hooper said calmly as he ate another bite of his apple. He talked as though he were training a dog.

Lucas looked unimpressed by Hooper's crass opinions but kept his expression neutral. He knew the idiot was trying to bait him. It was working.

"If that is the case I am her master not you as you clearly stated she is my responsibility and my property" Lucas said.

"What don't want to share her?" Hooper teased.

"You should know after all this time that I don't share anything" Lucas told him.

* * *

"I feel like I'm going to be sick" Amelia said as she sat on the cot, she leaned over putting her head between her knees taking slow and deep breaths as she was panicking. Her mother had trained her to survive in the wild, to start a fire, scavenge and hunt for food, track wildlife and many survival skills. Saying Amelia had to be prepared for anything. She even taught Amelia first aid skills and bush mechanics so she would never be stranded. Amelia thought it overkill but now she felt her survival training was seriously lacking as her mother prepared her for many things however time travel and being a prisoner was not one of them.

"Just take slow and easy breaths and don't pull on the cuff. It will zap you if you try to remove it with out the key" Alicia told her as Amelia had been pulling on it. It felt like she was being choked even though it wasn't loose around her neck.

"Is there somewhere I can clean up and put some clothes on?" Amelia asked. Alicia nodded as she got up from the cot and moved to where Amelia's bags were sitting. She felt the need to cover up as much as possible.

"Your jeans were shredded in the crash" Alicia said as she brought over the bags and Amelia's bra, singlet and jacket. "Lucas said you had some spare clothes in your bags but I didn't want to snoop. Get what you need and I'll set up the partition and some water to wash the blood off." Alicia said.

"Thanks" Amelia said as she unzipped her workout bag and immediately sought out her compass necklace. She always wore it and now she needed everything and anything that would make her feel safe. She looked through the bag, she had her ballet gear though she doubted she would need her pointe shoes out in the jungle and her ballet practice outfit would be a joke to wear out here. Luckily though she still had a spare set of casual clothes and her Sketchers lunacy Calvary boots, they weren't hiking boots but they were comfortable and would keep her feet protected. She had meant to change into the clothes and shoes before going home as she didn't need her mother making note of her new outfit and how it wasn't very functional among other criticisms her mother would tell her. She pulled out her worn forest green cargo pants, a dark grey lightweight hoodie with long sleeves and black tank top along with her racer back sports bra that had no underwire and opened at the front. She wanted to put on as many layers as she could after she washed up.

She moved behind the partition Alicia had directed her to and found a bowl of water with a wash cloth. Something told her it would be the closest she got to a shower in this place. She knew this would be like all the survival camping trips her mother made her do. Live in the wild for a few days with nothing but a compass, a knife and water bottle. But here she would be living in a tree. She quickly washed up and changed into her clothes and donned her boots.

"Feel better?" Alicia asked Amelia when she walked out from behind the partition.

"Yeah as much as I can in the situation, What do I do with the water? Throw it over the side?" Amelia asked.

"I'll fix it up later, can't through it over the side as the nykos will pick up the scent of blood and want to play" Alicia said.

"Nykos?"

"Medium sized carnivorous dinosaurs"

"Right, I forgot about the Dinosaurs"

"Don't worry you're perfectly safe up here and I'll teach you everything you need to know about surviving out here."

"Right"

"Hey this just a temporary setback, we will get out of here it's just going to take a long time" Alicia said, Amelia shot her look that said she didn't believe her.

"And how long have you been trying to escape?"

"Too long but I'm not giving up and now there are two of us it means we have better chance of escaping if we work together. Two heads are better than one" Alicia said as she moved to a satchel and opened it. Amelia couldn't argue with that logic as they were both in the same boat now.

"Here, I figured you'd be hungry. Eat before you lie down again. You need to rest, Hooper will expect to see us in the main tent for lunch" Alicia said to Amelia.

"Thanks" Amelia said not feeling hungry in the slightest but she ate the fruit knowing her body needed food.

"Tell me about yourself, can you fight hand to hand?" Alicia asked, she had noted the young woman's frame she was in pretty good physical condition. Alicia assumed she was doing several types of sports. She had seen the ballet shoes but knew the girl was doing more than that as she had soccer ball in the car which had been commandeered by the soldiers.

"I'm 17" Amelia said making a face like 'isn't it obvious? Of course I can't fight'. The truth was Amelia knew the basics as her mother tried to teach her but Amelia refused to fight. She didn't want to be a soldier and physical violence scared her. She enjoyed a good action movie and shooting guns with her brother at the firing range but the reality someone coming at you with their fists was something she didn't like. Amelia took a breath and shook her head.

"No, my mother taught me basic self defence but I didn't like it"

"Well you're going to learn to love it out here" Alicia told her.

"You sound like my mother" Amelia said dryly before feeling the burn of tears as she remembered she was never going to hear her mother tell her off or comment about her grades again. She swallowed the grief and focussed on eating.

"Trust me if you want to survive untouched in this camp you have to kick some ass. Hooper and the men here are pigs but they won't touch you if they know you'll fight back. You need to learn to protect yourself when I'm not around" Alicia told her.

"Ok" Amelia said nodding as she was not going to forget how Hooper and his soldiers looked at her.

"Hey, it'll be fine we'll start training you when your ribs have healed until then you never leave my side. We'll get out of this and back to the colony it's just going to take some time" Alicia told her. Amelia hoped Alicia wasn't filling her with false hope but Amelia latched onto it as she'd rather live in a colony than out in the jungle with Hooper and his soldiers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

A couple of weeks after her recovery from her fever and her leg wound being healed. Amelia learned quickly the limitations of her prison. It was amazing how she had no bars but still felt captive. She stayed by Alicia's side all the time when they left their living quarters to go to the main tree dwelling used for meals. It was a large room built between 6 closely packed trees. It seemed no one went onto the ground unless it was for provisions of water, food or to dispose of waste. Otherwise they lived up in the canopy of the trees.

Amelia didn't blame them she had already woken up several times to the sounds of dinosaurs screeching and roaring in the night. Alicia had been educating her on all the dangers outside of the camp, how to survive if they ever had the chance to escape. The sounds were frightening as she had never heard anything like it but Alicia assured her that they perfectly safe in the canopy.

Amelia would lie in the cot and listen to all the noise and wish she was back in her time. But she knew it was never going to happen, with every passing day she knew it. It made her ache more than the pain from her broken ribs and her face that still hurt like hell when she ate. Amelia would cry for everything she had lost quietly as she could at night as her mother told her tears were a weakness. Her mother was all about being a strong capable woman, always in control.

She could never understand Amelia and when Amelia did or wanted something that wasn't her career path to success like wanting to do Art or Ballet. Her mother would joke that it's her father's genes and when Amelia didn't behave it was because of her father's genes. She was too much like her father. A father Amelia didn't know because he died in a motorcycle accident when she was a little girl. She only had vague memories of him. All she had left of him was a plain silver compass locket. She carried it with her everywhere, her brother always joked it was smart as she would never get lost though he thought it was the ugliest piece a jewellery a girl could wear but Amelia loved it.

She'd picked up the locket and held it in the air above her and just looked at the locket for what felt like hours in the night and enjoy the tactile feel of the brushed finish on the locket.

The days passed slowly, Alicia made sure they were always busy or appeared busy when Hooper made his rounds. He liked to see them pull their weight as such Amelia had become Alicia's new trainee as a medic. Alicia would drill medical information into Amelia day after day along with martial arts training. The martial arts training was only slow forms at the moment as Amelia didn't have a lot of energy due to her broken bones but she knew once a few more weeks passed she would be exercising madly to get back into shape.

The only bright side to all of that had happened was Alicia. The woman had become her mentor and a big sister to her. Alicia kept her out of trouble, made sure she got her food and protected her from the leering eyes of the soldiers and Hooper. She even had a dry sense of humour which shone brightly when Carter was around like right now. They had just sat down for lunch and Carter joined them sitting a little too closely to Alicia.

"So ladies, how are we this fine day?" Carter asked with a sarcastic tone as he took a sip of his broth. It was pretty much the same meals day in and out, fruit for breakfast, vegetable broth for lunch and some kind of roasted animal for dinner with vegetables.

"The same as every day Carter now move over and give me some space" Alicia told him as she pushed him with her shoulder to make room for herself.

"She loves me" Carter told Amelia in a low voice.

"Like I love being poked in the eye with a sharp stick" Alicia replied dryly. Amelia gave a small smile. Carter was always making bad jokes trying to make her smile but the past weeks she hadn't felt like she would ever smile or laugh.

"Oh is that a smile?" Carter asked Alicia pointing at Amelia.

"Facial twitches don't count as a smile" Alicia told him as she continued eat not playing along with Carter.

"Am I that ugly that I can't get two girls smile?" Carter asked them when he noted their moods had not improved. He had expected more than a smile but maybe it was asking too much.

"Yes" Alicia replied as she ate a piece of a root vegetable looking completely bored but Amelia knew better as she watched them interact. Outside their dwellings Alicia acted indifferent towards Carter or like he was an annoyance and while Carter maintained his sense of humour and a straight face. He was far more serious outside their dwellings than when he visited them.

He smiled more, was more relaxed and teased Alicia more to the point where she would laugh and smile. Their relationship was complicated not only by being in the camp and having to maintain certain roles but also by the past they shared. Amelia wanted to ask but hadn't found the right time.

"You are a cruel woman Lt. Washington but one day you'll warm up to me. Amelia, do you want to hear about our love story?" Carter asked.

"Sure" Amelia said as she was curious.

"Well once upon in a land far, far away in the future-"

"We grew up together in the same building, his mom used to baby sit us when his father and my folks were on duty. Both Military brats... emphasis on the brat in regards to him" Alicia said cutting in.

"You know I was setting the scene" Carter told Alicia.

"Oh I'm sorry I'm pretty sure we'd spend the next 85 million years waiting for you to finish 'setting' the scene" Alicia drawled sarcastically.

"We fell in love in the sand pit" Carter told Amelia.

"You fell in love with the sand. I was the kid that built sandcastles he was that odd one that just sat there eating the sand. If fact he used to eat everything. Sand, dirt, cockroaches, paper… he's like a goat" Alicia told Amelia. That made Amelia chuckle.

"I was a growing kid and I didn't eat everything" Carter said defensively as he sat back in his chair feeling maligned. Alicia looked at him incredulously.

"You ate my purple crayon when we were six and you ate my hello kitty necklace when we were eight just because I wouldn't play with you" She reminded him.

"That was not my brightest moment" Carter admitted.

"He had to be rushed to the base hospital as it got lodged in his stomach and caused him immense pain not like he didn't deserve it" Alicia informed Amelia.

"Upside I had a copy of that x-ray on my wall though the downside is Alicia has never forgiven me for that" Carter said.

"It was my favourite necklace" Alicia told him.

"I got you a new one when you were sixteen which was not Hello Kitty but it had diamonds" Carter said.

"It was Cubic Zirconia" Alicia corrected.

"Does it matter? It's the thought that counts" Carter said.

"If you're going to have this discussion don't go romanticising it. Just tell her the facts" Alicia said getting annoyed at him. It was becoming apparent to Amelia that it was a very much a love hate relationship between Carter and Alicia.

"But it was romantic, I gave it to you and asked you to be date for spring prom" Carter said.

"Fine it was romantic until you got completely smashed with your buddies and then when I wanted to go home your reply was to vomit all over my dress" Alicia said.

"I paid for the dry cleaning and I think your dad was pretty happy about that turn of events" Carter said.

"The only thing he was happy about was my virginity remaining firmly intact"

"Well I made up for it at Graduation Ball"

"Yes, you were the perfect gentleman until the after party where you ditched me for Tiffi Henderson leaving me stranded without a ride home"

"I did?"

"Yeah"

"Fine, I was dick in school but College I was better and the marines really straightened me out-"

"Until you betrayed your country and abandoned your men, right now you should be serving a life sentence in Golad" Alicia told him, Amelia was also coming to realise that their relationship was far from perfect.

"You knew I wasn't a good guy from the beginning but I'm here now and as I keep telling you I came back for you, to be with you. I screwed up all my other chance but this time I'm going to get it right"

"Oh yeah by starting a coup trying to kill my commanding officer not once but twice! Oh yeah it's all about me" Alicia said dryly.

"The sex is off the scales" Carter said.

"Sex isn't everything and that is highly inappropiate thing to say infront of Amelia" Alicia said in a chastising tone.

"You can be such a gooy two shoes prude" Carter said pouting at her.

"Well at least I don't lie, cheat and steal like you. You never change no matter what and I am always the idiot who keeps falling for your charms again and again. But not anymore-"

"See what I have to work with" Carter told Amelia while Alicia continued her calm tirade.

"-A snowball has a better chance in hell than you do in getting back into my pants and good graces. So just settle with being friends" Alicia told him.

"We aren't made to be friends" he said his eyes locking with Alicia's, she understood exactly what he was inferring. She leaned in close so their noses were nearly touching.

"It's the only thing I'm offering-" she started.

"Carter! Get over here" Hooper shouted from across the room interrupting Alicia.

"Hold that thought" Carter said before he kissed Alicia quickly and left the table. Alicia glowered at his retreating form as he moved to where Mira was. She turned to face Amelia who was doing her best not to smile.

"I have bad taste in men not the best example to follow." Alicia told her.

"He kinda reminds me of my brother sans the long and sketchy history" Amelia commented before taking a sip of her broth.

"You know this is the first time you mentioned your family" Alicia said. It was true, Amelia had been quiet about her life but something about the last couple days made her want to talk about them not mourn them.

"I guess I'm tired of crying about what happened and how I'm stuck. I just don't want to forget them" Amelia said with a shrug she didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

"It's ok to grieve the life you were going to have and the people you will miss for as long as you need to" Alicia told her.

"I know I just need to accept this is it and make the best of my situation. And hope that it changes dramatically for the better in the next 6 months. It just sucks" Amelia said bitterly as she drained her cup.

* * *

Lucas sat in a chair looking at the walls of his dwellings, at all his hard work and the layers upon layers of papers with calculations hanging on the walls and ceiling. Seeing it around him made it easier to see the larger picture and work through the snags and mistakes that needed to be corrected in the coding to maintain a stable a two way portal with time differential issues. Every fracture was different every portal needed to be attuned to a specific frequency to function and be stable. What he wouldn't give for a person with the same level of intellect in his field of study to bounce ideas with.

He had stared at these walls for days on end trying to work but found he had hit a wall. His mind kept wandering to Amelia as he had been avoiding her. Carter gave him daily updates and Lucas wanted to see her, to talk to her but knew she hated him and he didn't need nor want another person throwing their anger and dissatisfaction at him. He didn't want to see the pain he cause her either, it seemed when he was shot parts of him that he thought didn't exist became apparent compassion and guilt naming just a few. While he felt no compassion for the Phoenix Group soldiers or many of the sixers he did feel it for Alicia not that he would let the woman know it. He knew how much she wanted to be freed to return back to the colony but he didn't help her.

He leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers behind his head and sighed as his thoughts drifted to Amelia, he still had her text books and art portfolios. He guessed he could give them back to her. It would give him a break from the monotony of sitting in the room staring at the calculations.

"I see you are working hard as always" Mira commented, Lucas looked over his shoulder at Mira to see her standing at the back with a thermos.

"My work happens up here" he said pointing to his head.

"So you have told me before. Here, eat" she said as she placed the Thermos on the table beside Lucas before standing back and folding her arms across her chest.

"I will later, thank you" he said to be polite. He didn't need Mira to bring him food and knew she only did it as an excuse to get an update on his progress.

"How is it progressing?" She asked, Mira didn't waste time as she got to her true reason for being there.

"Slowly but surely, either way it won't matter if we cannot fix the terminus"

"Haven't you assessed it yet?"

"I've been distracted" He drawled getting up from his chair and moving to Amelia's textbooks. He picked up the textbook on applied physics and the mathematic textbooks. An idea sparked in him as placed the books down on the desk and started rummaging around the papers on his desk looking a plex.

"With thoughts of the girl?" Mira asked.

"With the calculations as always" he told her with disdain. He found a plex and turned it on when he flicked through the contents he turned it off and continued his search.

"What are you looking for?" Mira asked.

"My earlier work. Now if you have gotten all your answers you can leave as you are now distracting me" he told her as he found another two plexs. Luckily the second plex had what he needed. He didn't even care that Mira was peeved at being dismissed or notice her exit as he flipped through the contents on the plex with a smile as it was everything he needed.

* * *

"Dino bite; bleeding profusely with swelling and redness of the area… What's your treatment?" Alicia asked Amelia as they were practicing slow form of martial arts, Alicia said it was to help build the neural pathways and muscle memories for moves. It also helped with her recovery as it didn't exhaust her but helped her keep in shape.

Alicia liked to take the time to test Amelia on the medical knowledge she had been teaching her. It was becoming a daily ritual Amelia didn't mind as she found the slow and continuous movements relaxing and the medical knowledge kept her brain working, she did miss studying.

"Calm the affected person, Wash hands before attending to wound, Wash wound with soap & water. Apply antibiotic ointment. Dress using sterile bandage. After that I leave it in your capable hands" Amelia said.

"And then" Alicia prompted.

"Suturing may be required, a Tetanus booster or antibiotics required. The treatment depends on type or location of wound" Amelia said.

"Good-" Alicia had meant to ask another question but she heard footfalls and the appearance of Lucas made her stop. "Lucas" Alicia said. Amelia faltered slightly in her movements as she saw him standing in their dwellings near the platform that connected them to Carter's. they always had to walk through Carter's place to get to the Zipline that they had to use to get to the rest of the tree dwellings.

"Don't let me interrupt you" Lucas said as he watched the fluidic form of Amelia's movements. She was incredibly graceful when she moved. She looked healthier than their last meeting her skin her light tan was deeper making her honey brown hair look almost blonde.

"Is there something you need?" Alicia asked.

"I'm here to talk to Amelia" Lucas said,

"What do you want?"

"Your help"

"My help?"

"You were studying applied physics and advance mathematics at a university level. While your work is flawed-"

"I was at the top of my class. My work is perfect" Amelia told him. She did not spend her life buried in books to have some guy tell her that her work was flawed. It annoyed her. "Anyway what makes you the authority on theoretical mathematical theories and physics?" she asked snidely.

"I believe having a masters and a PhD in said fields would make me qualify as an authority on the subject matter" Lucas told her, he held out the plex to her already enjoying himself as not many people had the courage to rear up at him and question his knowledge. "Take it, I want you to continue your studies." he told her.

"What is it?" Amelia asked as she turned the plex in hands not knowing what to do with it.

"It's called a plex, it's like a touch screen computer in your time but better. Faster response time, larger memory capacity just better" Alicia said she reached out and turned it on making Amelia jump in surprise as she hadn't expected it happen.

"Cool" Amelia said as she looked at too afraid of embarrassing herself or breaking it to do more than that.

"What does Amelia get out of helping you?" Alicia asked.

"Always wanting something Wash"

"She's a prisoner, you can order her around but as you know incentives help. Perhaps allowing her collar to be removed" Alicia said.

"It wasn't my decision to put it on and Hooper won't remove it unless he knows Amelia can be trusted to stay here" Lucas told Alicia.

"Is there a chance if she does that then she can earn that trust"

"Why do you care about her collar being removed?"

"Because she shouldn't be a prisoner for something you did." Alicia told him, Lucas fought the urge to hit Alicia but with Amelia watching he knew he would lose all ground he could gain if he did. Alicia was protecting Amelia's best interests in the long run.

"It is something I can look into but Hooper won't consider it if Amelia doesn't help me and it would help if we showed some progress from our liaison." Lucas said he looked to Amelia.

"I can however offer you luxuries that would otherwise be not given to you. It is my fault that you are here and can't go home but you help me and I will help you with your studies. Equal trade" he told her. Amelia didn't know what to think, but the idea of continuing her studies seemed ludicrous as she had no future career options she had mapped out for herself but then she felt lost without her studies as they gave her purpose and helped her stay focused. It would also make for a good distraction.

Amelia looked to Alicia for guidance and the woman nodded her head as if she could read Amelia's mind. "I think you should do it, if there is a chance you can earn your freedom then you should. You should do it so you can continue your studies" Alicia said.

"Fine, I'll do it" Amelia said, Lucas had hoped she would act a little more enthusiastic or grateful than she was. In fact she was acting like someone had asked her demuck the latrines.

"Good, we will work every afternoon. Come tomorrow after lunch come to my place. I expect you to read the first two chapters of the marked textbooks. Lt Washington will help you work out the Plex" He said and with that he turned on his feet and left them.

Amelia and Alicia exchanged looks and waited a moment before speaking. "Is he always so abrupt?" Amelia asked.

"He lacks social skills comes from living in the jungle by himself for over 5 years" Alicia said.

"He lived out here alone for 5 years?"

"He was banished from the colony for attempting to start a coup against his father"

"Commander Taylor" Amelia said, Alicia had told Amelia all about the colony, her old function there. The people who lived there and life as Amelia had been curious as to what she was missing out on and because Alicia liked to talk about them until she reached the sore spot of how she had never been rescued and not even an attempt.

Amelia knew it hurt the woman deeply to be abandoned even if Alicia understood she was collateral damage. That she volunteered herself for death to save the Shannons, she had expected them to recover her body and give her a proper burial. Taylor always brought his soldiers home alive or dead. It was something Alicia talked about a lot as she told Amelia that they would stick it out together and she would not leave her behind.

"Yes" Alicia said.

"Great" Amelia said dryly. She looked down at the plex "You know what's really funny? I hate Physics" she told Alicia. The woman laughed at how Amelia was being trapped into doing things she didn't like.

"That's perfect" Alicia told her with a smile.

"No it's not, it's frustrating! I had to kill myself every week just get top grades to keep my mom off my back." Amelia grumbled.

"Well it should make your afternoons entertaining. Come on I'll show you how to work the plex so you can get started on your studies" Alicia told her.

* * *

"What's got you down?" Carter asked looking at Amelia over dinner a few hours later.

"Lucas is making her study so she can help him with his work" Alicia supplied as she ate a bite of her dinner, Amelia was pushing her food around her tray lost in her own thoughts as the chapters she read had completely overwhelmed her.

"Oh and this is sad news because?" Carter asked.

"Because I have no understanding of anything he gave me. He's not going to hurt me for not knowing will he?" Amelia asked.

"Just tell him from a distance" Carter joked but it failed as Amelia paled at the suggestion.

"He obviously believes you have an aptitude for it. I'm sure if you tell him that you had problems he'll understand and help you. He doesn't have the tendency for physical violence" Alicia said shaking her head at Carter. Amelia exhaled slowly and nodded.

"You'll be there right?" Amelia asked Alicia as she didn't want to be left alone with Lucas.

"We'll see. Lucas is selective about his company but I will walk you there and be there to pick you up. Trust me when I say Lucas wanting you to help him with this stuff is a big deal no one will be game to touch you with him around" Alicia said, it was meant to be comforting but it didn't help Amelia as she wasn't sure what was going to happen and Alicia was her protector.

* * *

TBC~ Cya all in two weeks :-) Please feel free to drop a review!


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: forgive me I'm a one chapter update this week.. It's been a very hectic week of Wedding, engagement, Kitchen tea and Baby shower gift purchasing and wrapping and all that drama *Rolls eyes* too many friends getting hitched or having babies.. anyways! Thank yous to all the lovely reviews! the favourites, alerts etc! Please enjoy Promise to have more next time :-)_

* * *

Chapter 4

Amelia could barely touch her food at lunch as her stomach was in knots. She didn't know why Lucas felt she could learn anything he gave her. She had only finished one semester of physics and even then she had killed herself to get the marks she had. The plex while it was a marvel was also better known Amelia's version of hell as she didn't understand anything on it and there were no libraries to go to cheat with crib notes and assist books.

Lucas was expecting her to be some genius and she was going to fall short of the mark. It was the 'what if's' plaguing her.

"Eat something" Alicia told her for the third time.

"I can't I feel like I'm going to be sick" Amelia mumbled Alicia reached across the table and felt Amelia for a temperature.

"Must be nerves, you don't feel warm or anything. Finish the soup at least" Alicia told her. Amelia nodded and took slow sips of the soup even though she didn't want to. "Honestly it won't be your last meal" Alicia said as she figured Amelia was being a teenager and overly dramatic.

"You're the one who told me he has a bad temper and that he's also got a screw loose" Amelia said in a low voice.

"I was warning you so that you don't do something stupid. Lucas is wild and like I said he has a delicate disposition when he gets angry he will take it out on those around him but you just have to not call him crazy or insane or the other trigger words I told you" Alicia told her.

* * *

Amelia thought of all the trigger words when she nervously walked into the tree dwelling where Lucas resided. He stood to side watching her carefully as she took tentative steps into the room and looked around the place taking it all in.

The room looked like it belonged to an escaped mental ward patient but instead of crazy words it was all equations covering the walls in piles of papers on the desk in the middle of the room with two chairs. There was a single cot to the side of the room with a blanket messily draped over it like he rolled out of it and didn't bother to make his bed.

She found the room startling and it made her wonder how he got anything done in all the confusion of the space. But then she wasn't entirely sure what his function was in the group. He appeared to be a leader as he held some considerable amount of freedom and didn't have anyone to answer to as far as Amelia could tell.

"Have a seat" Lucas said as he gestured to the table with chairs. Amelia sat down at the table nervously.

"Interior decorating isn't my forte" he joked poorly as he took a seat opposite Amelia. He had hoped to alleviate the tension as Amelia looked ready to pass out from nerved. Her eyes were skittering to the walls at the calculations. She looked at him but didn't laugh instead she looked down at the table.

"Ok, did you read what I gave you?" he asked moving onto the more pressing matters than dwelling on his lack of social graces.

"Yes" Amelia said apprehensively.

"Thoughts? Questions?" He asked.

"I didn't get it" she said biting bottom lip nervously. He wondered if she knew how attractive she looked biting her lip like that. He took a deep breath and ignored his wayward thoughts as he had to remind himself she was a prisoner not some attractive uni student he could ask out for drinks.

"Which part?" he asked she winced at the question not his tone as he didn't show any reaction to her answer. He wasn't angry as he knew it was a long shot expecting her to comprehend the evolution in physics and its applications and theories in less than 24 hours. He hoped though she might be able to grasp something.

He had to remind himself of his tutoring days to be patient as possible and remind himself of what his uncle used to tell him when he started working at Hope Plaza 'Not many people you will encounter will be as bright as you. You just have to show a little patience and Taylor charm to get them to see your way'.

Patience was something of an art Lucas was still refining. It truly depended on the situation or person that required him to control his ire and frustration. Hooper he had no patience for but Amelia he had the patience to sit by her bedside when she had a fever even though he had better things to do. He didn't feel his temper rise when she said she didn't understand. Probably helped Amelia was more attractive and intelligent than Hooper.

"All of it" Amelia said wincing again as looked anywhere but at him. He pursed his lips trying not to smile as she looked like a kid who knew she was trouble and just waiting for the punishment. He realised that the neck cuff was obviously was putting undue stress on her as she was probably waiting for him to torture her.

"Ok, well you do have over a hundred years to catch up on. Why don't we tackle the basics and start from there and see what level you do comprehand so we have a starting point" Lucas said uncharacteristically for himself but he felt sorry for her. That and he was currently stalled in his work so he had the time to invest in her. By focussing on her perhaps it would give him the answers to the problems he was working on.

Amelia gave a reluctant nod as she placed the plex on the table. Lucas sat forward picking it up and deciding a good place to start with her.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Amelia's head snapped up from her studies when the sounds of some dinosaurs roaring and the screams of multiple men and gun fire sounded. Fear rose in her as the horror of the sounds persisted.

"Go back to your studies" Lucas told her as he sat back in his chair looking at the walls. His feet were propped up on a wooden crate he looked incredibly relaxed and undisturbed by the noise. She couldn't believe he wasn't even morbidly curious to check it out at least.

"Shouldn't we be doing something?" Amelia asked.

"We are" Lucas said not looking away from the walls. He had spent the last hour and half teaching her how to do the minor equations and making her understand theories before leaving her to work on the projects in the plex. He took the time to sit and ponder the calculations though he kept finding him distracted by Amelia as she was hunched over the plex trying her hardest to understand what he was teaching her.

"Shouldn't you see what's going on? Aren't your people out there?" Amelia asked him.

"Sounds like Nykorapters and anyway the soldiers are not my responsibility nor are they 'my people'. Focus on your studies. We are perfectly safe up here" Lucas assured her, she wondered how he could be so calm when she was inwardly freaking out. Was he truly so callous to not care about people he lived with who knows how long as they were dying outside.

"People are dying and you're telling me to focus on my studies?" Amelia asked panic tainted her voice and Lucas finally looked at her.

"Relax, people die all the time and anyway what will a defenceless woman like you do in the face of a Nykorapter?" he asked her with an amused expression. Amelia was stumped by that one as she opened her mouth not sure what to say.

"I don't know" She admitted.

"Exactly there is nothing you can do. So don't concern yourself with the lives of people who would make yours miserable if given the chance." Lucas told her.

"If given the chance?" she asked, she felt her life was miserable enough as it was. She missed her overbearing mother and her brother, her education and all her life plans and goals completely thrown out the window. She was a prisoner.

"Yes, let's get something straight. While you help me I protect you from them" Lucas told her.

"Alicia-"

"Lt Washington is a prisoner much like you. She can only do so much until her collar is activated. I on the other hand am a senior member of this group. I hold power and privileges she does not. One of them being that I say you are mine. No one touches you and if they do they'll be punished or executed dependant on what they have done and my mood." He offered a casual shrug like he was talking about slapping a person on the wrist not actual murder. "Now go back to your studies" he told her.

"What if I'm completely rubbish and can't help you?" Amelia asked in a worried voice.

"You don't have an appreciation of how intelligent you are. You will learn and you will help me" He said it like he believed there was no other outcome. Amelia wasn't sure if it was incredibly arrogant or petulant of him to expect so much of her but she figured he wasn't torturing her or worse.

The gun fire ceased and silence fell in the air for a few moments before the sounds of men moaning in pain and orders were shouted in the air. Amelia was thoroughly distracted as she wanted to know what was going on but didn't at the same time.

Lucas tapped the table above her plex. "Focus" he told her, Amelia looked down at the plex and with a resigned sigh continued her work.

* * *

"This is all that is left of 30 soldiers" Hooper said to his second in command as he looked at the 7 heavily wounded men all in different states of agony as Alicia and Carter were treating their wounds.

"Yes Sir, the Nykorapters were-"

"Where's the other prisoner? That girl" Hooper demanded looking at Alicia.

"She's helping Lucas with his work" Alicia answered.

"I'm sure, keep me posted on their conditions. If they have less than a 60% chance of survival shot them. We can't afford any more drains on our resources" Hooper told his second in command before he left the infirmary.

* * *

"See if you carry-" Lucas stopped mid explanation as a scream tore out of Amelia, she grabbed the cuff and continued to scream in pure agony. He didn't dare touch her as he knew she was being electrocuted by the cuff, she fell to the floor and writhed in pain.

Amelia stopped screaming when the pain subsided, she had never felt anything like it. It was like her whole being was on fire. She gulped for air and sobbed as she tried to recover but before she had a handle on her pain the cuff started to electrocute her again. She screamed as her muscles spasmed painfully and her body convulsed from the electrical current.

"I'm sorry am I interrupting play time?" Hooper sneered as he walked into the room. Lucas got to his feet and moved to Hooper.

"Turn it off" Lucas told him dark and calm tone. Hooper looked at him with anger and rage as he turned up the setting on his hand held plex. Amelia's cries of pain increased, Lucas looked to her writhing on the floor and the scene brought up old memories he had tried to keep buried for years.

The memories of his mother lying on the ground, the sounds of her screams and pleas as she writhed in pain and the sick laughter of the Somalian rebels as they tortured her came to him. Lucas took a deep breath pushing the memories away and blinking the hot tears that burned his eyes as he unholstered his side arm and pointed it at Hooper's head.

"Turn it off now" Lucas said as he turned to setting of his weapon to its highest, the gun made a high pitch squealed as it charged up.

"She should be in the medical tent not playing house with you" Hooper said as he didn't turn it off "Didn't you hear the screams? I lost 23 men to a nest of Nykorapters thanks to her damn soccer ball" Hooper growled.

"Unfortunate as that may be. I need her help with the equations. She's a mathematical genus I need her brain and body intact. Turn it off. I won't ask again" Lucas told him in a firm tone, a moment lapsed as they had a staring competition. Lucas held Hooper's gaze with a cold and menacing gaze. Hooper backed down first and turned off the cuff. Amelia slumped on the floor as her body was no longer seizing from the cuff and heaved for air as Hooper turned to Lucas.

"She better be worth it because she has been nothing but a drain on our resources." Hooper said darkly.

"Oh she is worth it but not if you melt her brain with torture. Neither should you punish her for the idiocy of your men and their procurement of something that wasn't theirs to begin with" Lucas told him darkly.

"23 men and 7 critical do I have to remind you that's nearly a third of my soldiers gone?" Hooper told him.

"I'm well aware of that fact but as you said they are your men. You should have kept them in line instead of allowing them recreation. We aren't here on summer camp and the jungles are dangerous. I'll forgive you for your anger this time but remember that she is mine to punish and play with. Get out of my sight" Lucas told him like Hooper was an errant child who needed to be constantly reminded that now was not the time for play but to be serious. Hooper and his men kept reaffirming the fact that money really couldn't buy you everything.

"You can't dismiss me, I am your equal" Hooper told him.

"My apologies. Major Hooper could you please do me the honour of vacating yourself out of my presence" Lucas drawled sarcastically as he gave a sweeping gesture for Hooper to leave.

Hooper looked at Amelia who was lying on the floor like a quivering helpless mess and he took a fortifying breath. He appeared satisfied as Amelia struggled to push herself off the floor. He left the room and Lucas followed and watched Hooper drop down to the ground using the zipline before he returned to the room.

He moved to Amelia's side, she had rolled onto her back in the time he had been gone and was heaving for air as tears ran down the sides of her face. He reached out to touch her but stopped short as he didn't want his touch to be unwanted.

"Is he gone?" Amelia asked between breaths. Tears continued to flow down the sides of her face, she had never experienced such pain in her entire life. She felt like her whole body had been on fire and it was still burning as her body trembled but her muscles refused to comply any further.

"Yes, unless you have any objections I'm going to lift you off the floor and move you to the bed. It'll be more comfortable" he said in a roundabout way of asking for permission. Amelia just closed her eyes and gave nod of consent as she was in too much pain. Lucas carefully slid his arms under her body and lifted her off the floor. He could feel her muscles twitching and ticking as they fought to right themselves.

He gently down on the cot and pulled off her boots just to make her more comfortable. He knew she would be lying down for a while.

"Thank you" Amelia said as she wiped the tears from her face. She laid on her back and watched him as he moved round the room. "What are you looking for?" she asked her voice was raw from screaming.

"Something to elevate your legs" he said as he came back with a back bag he opened it and stuffed it with a spare blanket and clothing before using it to prop her feet up.

"I don't understand what I did wrong" Amelia said as she had been too wrapped up in her pain to hear the conversation. Now she was in pain but also cold and nauseous the trembling had grown into sickening shivers.

"Hooper was pissed off. His soldiers were playing with a soccer ball and disturbed the native wildlife as you heard. He's taking his annoyance of losing some men out on you. He enjoys torturing people. I honestly I find torturing a person to be counterproductive" Lucas told her as he loosened her clothing, she didn't fight him as she was too weak and there was the fact he was stripping her naked so she assumed he knew what he was doing.

"You've tortured people before?" Amelia asked looking up at him.

"Don't delude yourself. I am no different from him." Lucas said as he could see she was attracted to him and under the delusion that he was her hero just because he stopped Hooper.

"If you were no different from him then you would have left me on the floor. So cold" Amelia told him as her eyes grew heavy from as exhaustion hit her like a brick in the head it didn't help her general disposition.

"Amelia I need you to stay awake. The shock is hitting you" Lucas told her as he draped the blanket over her to keep her from getting cold. "You'll be ok but I need you to stay awake" he said as he gently rubbed her arms to keep her warm.

"Mmm that feels nice" Amelia murmured as his hands were hot and toasty on her skin. Lucas chuckled as he cupped her face.

"Stay awake and warn me if you are going to vomit. I'd prefer you not do it in my bed" Lucas told her as he pressed his fingers on her neck checking her vitals. Her pulse was strong which was a good sign even if she was still shivering and feeling clammy to the touch.

"I don't want to vomit, can I have some water?" Amelia asked.

"No, not until the shock has passed completely." Lucas told her as he looked down at her. Amelia looked up at him telling herself to stay awake. She focused on his face and his steady gaze. His eyes were the most amazing green so it wasn't hard to get caught up in them. She knew she was blushing from just staring but then it was pass out or vomit if she didn't focus on him. She voted on the staring instead as it was the lesser of two evils.

"See something you like?" he asked.

"Yeah" she breathed still staring and focussing on her breathing. She licked her lips and blinked "I figure you wouldn't mind me staring if stopped me from vomiting" she added. Lucas smiled a genuine smile that made her blush deepen and her heart quicken its pace. _Oh yeah I got it bad_ she thought to herself.

"Stare away" he told her.

"Well you could distract me by talking about something"

"Like what?"

"Tell me how a whole bunch of people end up 85 million years in the past or I don't know anything" Amelia said quickly as she felt her nausea increase and her heart pump faster all tell tale signs she was going to vomit.

"Ok" Lucas said in amusement as he checked her vitals noting the change in her pulse. He made himself comfortable on the floor so that he would be at eye level with Amelia and began to tell her the history of the fracture. It would be relevant for her to know as much. As he spoke he watched her timing her pulse and when it was calm and her body temperature was normal he didn't bother to stop her from falling asleep. When her eyes closed completely he took his moment to look at her before readjusting the blanket and making sure she was covered before he moved back to his chair and looked at the calculations.

* * *

Many hours later, Amelia woke up. She looked around seeing a lantern on the table and many candles lit the room as it was dark outside. Lucas was sitting in the same chair staring at the same walls. She knew it couldn't be healthy to be so entirely consumed in working but she wasn't about to tell him. Something told her he was just using the work to separate himself from the world. She was nothing to him why would her opinion matter. She tried to push off the bed but failed as her muscles were incredibly sore.

She laid in the bed giving up on moving as she breathed through the pain. She felt like she had been just finished 9 hours of rigorious exercise as every muscle in her body screamed out in pain.

"You're awake" Lucas said as he moved from his chair and knelt down by the bed.

"How long was I out?" Amelia asked while she gave a muffled groan of pain.

"A few hours" Lucas told her.

"I need to get back to Alicia" Amelia said as she struggled to push her upper body up.

"She's occupied taking care of the injured soldiers" Lucas told her as he helped her the rest of the way so she sitting up. Amelia raised a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes as the room was spinning.

"She'll need me"

"You're in no condition to help her and definitely not in any condition to be talking a stroll on the ground at night. Just take it easy, I have some food if you're hungry" he said. For a man who was her captor he was certainly rolling out the red carpet of hospitality.

"Not at the moment" Amelia told him, she really wanted to go back to sleep. She pulled her hair loose from the high bun it had been tied in and retied it into a low ponytail. She knew she looked a mess but she could do much to fix it as there was no mirror and her hair brush was at her place.

"You should eat" He said it sounded more like an order than a suggestion as he moved away and brought back a plate with slices of cooked meat and fruit. Amelia took the plate with a shaky hand and placed it in her lap taking things incredibly slowly as she was sluggish and her stomach was upto consuming the orange meat.

"Eat or do you want me to feed you?" Lucas asked her. Amelia picked up a slice of fruit and took a bite and swallowed it.

"Happy?" Amelia asked him.

"Elated" he drawled as Amelia continued to eat the rest of the food very slowly.

"Tell me what will happen after you reconnect with the future" Amelia said.

"I will be rewarded handsomely and live very comfortably in my own dome" he told her.

"What about Alicia and I?"

"Depends on how you both play your cards" Lucas told her.

"I don't understand" Amelia said, Lucas pursed his lips and gave a closed smile as he was amused by her innocence. It was rare to be in the presence of someone who didn't want to know all the angles and what was in it for them.

"You'll learn but for right now with the portal closed which makes the topic irrelevant." Lucas said as he sat back in his chair watching her.

"So, I'm staying here" Amelia said.

"Yes, no one sets foot on the ground after nightfall unless absolutely necessary. I'll sleep on the floor" he told her.

"No, I should sleep on the floor. I'm the pris-"

"Don't bother arguing with me unless you were about to offer sharing the cot instead." he said, Amelia blushed and looked down at her plate which Lucas smirked at how innocent this woman was as she just blushed at the idea of just sharing a cot. At least he wouldn't have to worry about wondering if she was lying to him about anything as she was like an open book. "Tell me about your studies" Lucas said changing the topic.

"What in particular?" she asked looking slightly flustered.

"Anything, I need diversion from staring at the wallls and you are here. Tell me about you and your studies" he said.

"Well i thought you knew"

"Applied Physics, Mathematics extension which I assume is advanced mathematics as you wouldn't able to do Physics. English, French, Art obviously from the portfolio" he said naming her subjects.

"My portfolio is here?" Amelia asked lifting at the knowledge she had some things of her life to hold onto and that all her hard work and hours in the dark room weren't completely lost.

"Yes and your camera. Let me guess you are an artist at heart" He said as she lighted up at the knowledge. He felt awkward conversing with her and frowned inwardly at why of all the things he had to inherit from his father it had to be his expressive eyes. He couldn't inherit the innate charm his father and Uncle had. He had watched his Uncle make a woman melt in the knees and do anything he wanted like bargaining for cheaper food or getting out of a speeding ticket.

"My mother believes Art is for vagrants who lack motivation to get a 'real' occupation and people who buy art have idle hands and too much money to have any sense to realise what a waste it is" Amelia said making a face that said she didn't agree with her mother.

"Most of the time that is true"

"No it's not. Art is expressive, you look at something and if it makes you feel something then it has a purpose. There are many studies that showed that Art can make you feel better. That if you look a beautiful peice it increases the blood flow to the pleasure centres of the brain." Amelia stopped as she saw Lucas was looking at her with a bemused look. "Sorry, it took a lot of persuading to have my mom agree to even let me take the course for my final two years of schooling and even then it's aggravating I can't even use the medium I want to" Amelia said with a sigh, the conversation had taken an unreal turn as she was talking to him like she would her friends.

"What medium would you use?" Lucas asked her. She wondered why he was even taking an interest in her as she was a prisoner something that was made very clear to her a few hours ago. Yet he was looking after her and tutoring her in physics with amazing patience. It was contradictory to what she believed of him but then she looked around the room and knew this was his world and he was probably lonely. Something she could understand.

"I wanted to paint with acrylics but it's too messy and costs more than photography. Anyway it's not like it matters now" Amelia said with shrug before eating the last peice of fruit on the plate. She looked up at Lucas and gave a shrug that made his insides twist at how much he had irrevocably changed her life for the worse. He shouldn't feel guilt in her regards. It was an accident, a fluke but he felt guilty and wished he could send her back. It was strange after all the years on his on his own and betraying his father, the failed occupation of the Colony he never felt anything but cheated of his revenge and the rewards he was deserved.

"I personally never understood art but numbers, equations I understand" he told her as he reached over to the table and picked up his water canteen and took a sip from it.

"I'm sorry I'm so hopeless at physics" Amelia said.

"You're not hopeless. I can think of twenty people off the top of my head who are completely hopeless at basic mathematics" Lucas told her as he held out the canteen to her. Amelia took the canteen and took a sip of water before passing it back this was definitely not how she was expecting her evening to turn out but it was definitely interesting.

* * *

_TBC~ Cya all next time!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Tree huts or Dwellings shall from hence forth be known as bungalows… Just to save some confusion later on… Also many thanks for the reviews they make me smile! :-D and Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 5

Amelia woke up when she heard a grunt followed by a 'no' come from the floor. She looked over the side of cot down at Lucas, she could barely make him out in the dark but could see he was shifting restlessly in his sleep. His usually handsome features were screwed up in pain as he was having a nightmare.

She reached out to just nudge him in the hopes the slight motion would dispel the nightmare or if it didn't she'd just nudge him until he was awake. He kept mumbling incoherent words and shaking his head as he was crying in his sleep. She barely touched his shoulder when his eyes snapped open he grabbed her and pulled her out of the cot onto the floor roughly. He rolled them so he was on top of her.

"Lucas, stop" Amelia said as he held her by the throat with one hand as he straddled her. He didn't tighten the hand on her neck but with her sore muscles and still healing ribs she was in pain and wished he'd get off her as she struggled to breathe.

"What are you trying to do? Kill me in my sleep?" he accused her leaning in close to her. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest as she couldn't see him very well but could feel the heat of his body and his intensity. She knew his face was close to hers as she felt his hot breath on her lips.

"I was trying to wake you up. You were having a nightmare" Amelia explained in a strained voice and her hands grasped the arm of the hand wrapped around her neck. "I swear I wasn't trying to kill you, please let me up I can't breathe" Amelia pleaded as tears fell down the sides of her face.

"What did I say?" he asked her not letting her up. His tone was cold and deadly. He had felt her hand touch him but he had been so caught up in his nightmare he thought he was being attacked and went into auto pilot. Now he had to know what she knew.

"You just mumbled and said 'no' a lot. Please let me up. You're hurting me" she begged him. Lucas gave sigh and he dropped his head to the side of hers releasing her neck and placing his hand to the floor beside her head. He could hear her struggling to catch her breath. He lifted his head and looked down at her not seeing her face but knowing she was in pain.

"Sorry" he said as he lifted himself off her form. He watched as she rolled away sat opposite him coughing for air. After a few moments she calmed and looked at him through the darkness. He felt like a jackass as he knew she didn't have an evil bone in her body and if she were going to kill him she wouldn't have tried to nudge him away she would have taken his gun from the floor and shot him in his sleep or smother him with a pillow.

"Apology accepted" Amelia said.

"I could have killed you and you just accept my apology like that?" he asked her.

"I should have been more careful, it was my fault" Amelia said, the way he reacted reminded her of her brother's friend who suffered from night terrors and sleep walking acting out his dreams unbeknownst to his knowledge. Of course her brother had no clue his friend was having issues until the said accidently shot Amelia in the dark. Her brother and mother said to always move around the house normally and turn on the lights wherever she went and to not sneak around. That night she hadn't even been thinking she was just thirsty and wanted a drink. She forgot to turn on the lights and learnt her lesson well as she ended up in the hospital.

"For trying to wake me?"

"Like I said I should have known better. I should have called out your name first before touching you. Every Soldier has triggers that set them off" Amelia said.

"I'm not a soldier" Lucas bit out.

"Oh I thought-"

"My Father is in the Military. I had no desire to follow him or sense of patriotism to serve my country" Lucas said in a tone that said the idea of serving in the military truly disgusted him.

"What about your mother?" Amelia asked, she had spent a good portion of the evening telling him about her family. She figured since he opened the door she'd see how he would tell her in return.

"She died when I was thirteen." Lucas said being unusually talkative for himself. He felt in the dark he didn't have her reading his emotions as they crossed his face, it gave him some anonymity.

"I'm sorry" Amelia said in a soft voice, she of course knew the pain of losing a parent.

"So am I, she was beautiful and kind hearted woman who didn't deserve to die the way she did. Anyway we shouldn't be talking about this. Are you ok?" Lucas asked her marking the end of their conversation.

"Yeah, I'm fine just a little sore" Amelia admitted, she was more than sore, she felt like she had run a marathon as her heart was still pounding hard in her chest and her muscles ached like she hadn't down a warm up or cool down session before resting completely.

"You should go back to bed" he said which meant their conversation was over but made.

"Can we talk for a bit I'm awake" she said not wanting to say she was shaken as well and needed some time to relax and needed a distraction.

"Only if you lay down in the cot" he said. Amelia nodded. She slowly and stiffly made her way to the cot and with Lucas's help eased back down into the cot. She gave a sigh as her muscles appreciated the 'prone' form.

"What do you want to talk about?" Lucas asked like he was already bored. Amelia gave a stifled groan as she shifted getting comfortable.

"You, the future that you come from… I don't know. It's only far since you asked me a million questions about my life" Amelia said.

* * *

Amelia woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache, she pulled her blanket tight around her as the room was cold. She could only assume winter was coming as the days were growing colder. She opened her eyes and reeled for a moment as she had to remember she was in Lucas's place. She pushed up off the bed so she was sitting up and looked around for Lucas but found the place empty.

Amelia got up from the bed and pulled the blanket with her wrapping it around her shoulders. She moved around the room taking in all the gadgets and personal items but not touching them. Everything was related to calculations on the walls and dioramas of what she assumed was the terminus Lucas told her about. That was until she reached a table in the farthest corner of the room that had her things.

On the table her portfolio was open to a black and white photo montage of cityscapes and random people's faces. Candid shots just capturing a 'moment' as her art teacher liked to tell her 'The best photos are the one's people don't pose as the camera sees something we don't. For example a normally happy man looking sad for a fraction of a second before the mask went up.' While Amelia could appreciate the art form she always wanted to paint, to get her hands dirty and create something from scratch.

She touched the page for a moment before picking up the portfolio and flicking through it for the ten thousand time of her life. She spent many hours putting the portfolio together and all that was missing were the final photos she had in the back. They had been developed but needed to be mounted on the page correctly. She opened it back to the page it had been on and propped it on the table before picking up her camera. She turned it over in her hands before she looked at the back screen turning it on for a moment looking through the photos until she stopped at one of her with her brother. He knew how to encourage her to be a real goof ball as they were making stupid faces. Tears burned her eyes as this camera with its photos was all she had left of her brother and of her old life.

She turned off the camera wanting to save the battery and placed it back on the table. She moved to the books wondering why he was keeping so much of her gear when the books were 'outdated' by his standards. She smiled at his organisation of fiction books and nonfiction being separated she really had too many books in the car.

"Good Morning"

Amelia turned to see Lucas at the entrance to the room as there was no actual door. She felt her heart pump a little faster and inwardly rolled her eyes at her stupid hormones as it was their fault for being attracted to her captor. _Stockholm syndrome to the hottie who apparently goes psycho if you call him crazy… Mom would be so proud Amelia! It's such a shame we can't do sunday dinner!_ Amelia thought as she looked at him with a weak smile.

"Yeah I woke up a few moments ago" She said as she touched the pile of fiction and non fiction books. He noted how she stood awkwardly by her stuff.

"I would let you take your belongings with you but I think Hooper would destroy them out of spite just to make you miserable. We can both agree that you are miserable enough without losing what little you have left" he told her as he placed his backpack on the floor and pulled out several pieces of fruit placing them on the table.

"I figured you'd claim Finder's keepers" Amelia said.

"Joy Luck Club isn't my kind of book" Lucas drawled making Amelia chuckle.

"Don't think you could relate to the protagonist?" Amelia asked with good humour as she slowly moved to the table and sat down opposite him.

"I highly doubt it as I'm not a first generation Chinese American woman" he replied as he brandished a switchblade knife. Amelia flinched at the noise the blade made as it unfolded from the base with a flick. He looked at her noticing her staring at the knife. "Relax I'll only be skinning the fruit" he told her.

"Sorry, I come from a Military Family yet knives and guns make me nervous" she said shifting uncomfortably as her muscles were still cold..

"You ever shoot a gun?" Lucas asked as he started peeling the fruit. It looked like pawpaw but the flesh was a dark purple instead of vermillion red.

"Yes, my mother believes in a well rounded education in self protection even though I'm rubbish at it but she wouldn't allow me to stop practicing at the gun range and learning some form of self defence. Worst soldier material ever" Amelia said as she watched him slowly and methodically peel the piece of fruit so the sin would fall in one piece.

"My Father did the same with me, it didn't stick either. Lt Washington is a great example I shot her in the head and yet here she is still alive" Lucas said as he peeled the fruit in his hands. Amelia swallowed nervously at how casually he talked about shooting Alicia and decided to change the topic.

"What did your mother do?" Amelia asked the words had slipped out before she thought about them and she mentally kicked herself as Lucas faltered slightly in his peeling. "Sorry if you don't want to talk about it. Just forget I asked" Amelia said quickly.

"No, it's fine. Just that no one has ever asked me about my mother. It's always been about my Father and how it is to be his son" Lucas said with disgust it was clear to Amelia that his father Commander Taylor was a definite 'no go' topic. She wondered what a father could do to his son that made him hate him so much. Alicia wouldn't tell her and Amelia was too afraid to ask as she didn't want to upset the starts of a friendship.

If one can have a friendship with their captor, she knew she had no power or control of situation but here he was treating her like an equal and making her breakfast. He had taken care of her and didn't ask anything lewd or unsavoury of her. It was definitely a friendship in the makings as they talked like two people getting to know one another.

"She used to be a Pastry chef before she met my father and after that she was a housewife but she would bake the most amazing cakes. I remember for my 6th birthday she baked this amazing cake it was a two tier cake that looked like a mountain with Dinosaurs and trees on it" he said with a smile as he reminisced.

"Now you live with dinosaurs and live in a tree" Amelia said with an amused smile.

"Yes and sadly they do not sit still or taste anything like sugar and faux strawberry and banana flavouring" Lucas said wistfully as Amelia giggled as he almost appeared sincerely disappointed about dinosaurs not living up to the hype. He finished peeling and sliced the fruit up and placed it on the plate that was in the middle of the table for them to share.

* * *

"Is that a hickey?" Carter asked as he and Amelia were walking to an empty table with their lunched. Alicia was still working in the infirmary but promised to catch up once she finished redressing one of the soldier's wounds or that's what Carter told her when he appeared in Lucas's bungalow to pick her up. Amelia blushed and tried not to touch her neck as she was carrying her tray of food and the last thing she needed was to drop her allotment of food as it was barely a snack and she wasn't getting seconds. Hooper had decided she needed to be punished and thus she was only given a cup of broth with no vegetables in it and one small piece of fruit.

"No" Amelia said as she had kept her hair down to cover the bruises on her neck. Lucas had apologised again for hurting her to which she had said it was fine. It had been an accident after all. She wondered what he was having nightmares about but pushed the thoughts away. It wasn't her business and she didn't want to have him to get angry with her.

"You spend a whole night in his tree bungalow…" Carter drawled.

"Nothing happened" Amelia told him in a firm tone wishing he would drop the topic.

"Two attractive young people, hormones running wild-"

"Nothing happened" She repeated Carter was worse than her brother, worse being he didn't get to the stage where he wigged out like a brother did thinking his little sister was doing the dirty with another guy. So he kept pushing and watching her blush an even darker red as her mind was going places with Lucas it shouldn't be thanks to Carter.

"Then why are you blushing?" he asked.

"Because you're embarrassing me and everyone in the room is staring at me" Amelia said as they sat down at the table.

"They are always staring. You're a tasty piece of forbidden fruit. There's also the fact that you are one of eight women in a camp of sixty. The other seven women are spoken for so you can imagine how put out the men are for some female company and you're their only option left and since Lucas hasn't verbalise his claim they are just enjoying the view" Carter told her as he scooped out most of the vegetables out of his cup into hers.

"That's disgusting" Amelia mumbled as she looked down her tray so she wouldn't make eye contact with the men around her. She didn't want to flag any unwanted attention. Sure she knew that they weren't staring at her because she was some goddess but majority of the men were in their mid 30's which was way too old for her.

"Which is why you don't go anywhere alone. Didn't Alicia tell you all this?" Carter asked.

"Yeah but I don't need you reminding me" Amelia said as she picked up the fruit and took a bite to find it was raw and rock hard. She place it back on the tray and wondered why she bothered.

"So what's with the bruises? because I know it's not a hickey but it's so much fun teasing you" Carter said. Amelia rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"It's nothing just let it drop ok?" Amelia hissed annoyed at him.

"Look I know Hooper took out his annoyance on you. Are you ok?" Carter asked with a serious expression as he was truly concerned.

"I'm fine, I feel like I've been run over by a bus but otherwise I'm ok. Lucas looked after me" Amelia said as she looked down at her tray and picked up her broth taking a sip of the soup. Carter looked genuinely surprised.

"Lucas Taylor looked after you?" He asked sceptically.

"Yes, he even gave up his bed last night and slept on the floor so I wouldn't be uncomfortable" Amelia told him.

"Lucas Taylor, 6ft tall, green eyes, sandy brown hair who is completely focussed on nothing but portals, time fractures and destroying his father looked after you?" Carter asked for clarification, he had just assumed Lucas left her on the floor and threw a blanket over her. As Lucas had radioed Carter to inform him Amelia was staying the night at his tree bungalow and that was it.

No additional information and Carter had listen to Alicia rant about it was so like Lucas to not give more than the absolute minimum and what made him an authority on if Amelia needed medical attention or not. If only Lucas had called before dark she could have gone over but then Carter reminded her that the safety area for her collar shrank to point she couldn't touch the ground.

"Why are you so surprised?" Amelia asked.

"Because he's the kind of guy who steps over a wounded soldier instead of stopping to help the guy though he did sit by your bed for a few hours to give me and Alicia a break from your fevered ramblings. He likes you. I knew it and now it's confirmed" Carter said smugly.

"No he just thinks I'm intelligent enough to help him complete his work which is completely off base about" Amelia said dismissively.

"Oh yeah that's totally it" Carter said sarcastically as he chuckled at how red Amelia's cheeks were. She truly was the worst liar he had ever encountered.

"What's totally it?" Alicia asked as she took a seat at the table, she looked exhausted as she had dark shadowsunder her eyes. She took a sip of her vegetable broth looking to Carter for his answer.

"Lucas likes Amelia" Carter said in a sing song voice like they were all in high school.

"That's nice" Alicia said.

"No, I mean that he likes Amelia and she likes him and they are going to have little jungle babies" Carter stressed the 'likes' part as Alicia was obviously too sleep deprived to connect the dots. And he was right as it dawned on Alicia mid sip and she choked on her broth looking shocked.

"Tell me that's a bad joke" Alicia said as she smacked away Carter's helping hand she looked to Amelia who was blushing from embarrassment.

"It's not true" Amelia said completely embarrassed.

"Liar, she wants his jungle babies" Carter said matter of factorily.

"Eww no I don't"Amelia said as the thought of having kids didn't appeal to her at this juncture of her life.

"Good, keep thinking 'eww' because no babies are going to be made in this jungle. Even if I have to start chaperoning your time with Lucas to make sure there are no practice tries. No Sex got it?" Alicia told Amelia. Carter chuckled at Alicia's stern voice.

"Trust me I watched a video of a woman giving birth for PDHPE. It was disgusting and I have no desire to have kids at my age. I have a plan... well had a plan" Amelia said correcting herself.

"Oh this should be good. Tell us your plan" Carter said with amusement.

"It's not relevant anymore" Amelia said.

"Come on" Carter prodded.

"Fine. 8 years of university graduate with a PhD. take a year off and travel then get a job, my own place , meet a nice guy" Carter snorted at the 'meet a nice guy part' Amelia ignored him and continued "Establish my career, get married, buy a house, and have a kid" Amelia said.

"Wow, life is not going to happen like that for you" Carter said as he laughed.

"Yeah I got that when I woke up here" Amelia told him bitterly.

"I meant that most if not all life plans fail miserably. Look at her she planned to be married with two kids before she was 30. Yet here she is. Single, childless and living in the jungle and over 30" Carter said pointing to Alicia.

"Yes life never works out like one plans" Alicia said looking disappointed at the fact for a moment before drinking some of her broth.

* * *

Lucas walked into the makeshift mess and moved to the line to get himself some food before heading back to his bungalow to get back to work. He had allowed Amelia to distract him over breakfast and most of the morning with questions about his life in 2149 primarily his childhood and his mother mostly happy childhood memories and nothing dark or gloomy or about his father.

He had never spoken about his mother or his childhood with anyone but then he led a very solitary life. When he did socialise it was about his father or his work, never about him personally or his mother. It made him feel special and also uplifted him that his father had not tainted every facet of his life. It also uplifted him that he could remember the happier times with his mother without thinking about her death.

He collected his cup of broth and tray of vegetables and fruit and made his way through the groups to an empty table at the back of the room. He preferred to eat alone in the mess and just watch the soldiers like one would watch an animal documentary and listen to the mundane conversations around him.

"I'm not risking my neck just so you can get a piece of ass" the soldier grumbled to his friend at a nearby table.

"Oh I'd let you have a turn after me or we could do her together, come on bet you she's a virgin. Look at how she blushes with Carter totally a virgin considering how foul mouthed that guy is. Think about it we could break her in" his friend said in an excited tone that made Lucas lose his appetite as the conversation was disgusting as the soldier continued to point out all of Amelia's physical attributes.

"Don't care mate, I'm here for the money and I like my women with a bit more age and flesh on them" the soldier said.

"Just close your eyes and imagine…" his friend drawled.

"Or don't" Lucas said loudly enough to catch their attention, the soldiers turned and looked at him. The foul mouthed of the two spoke first.

"Come on, we've been in this jungle for over 6 months a man has needs and that girl-"

"That girl is off limits, if I hear you or any of your friends talking about her like that again" Lucas warned him.

"Right, whatever she's just something to be used and hell we could all do with a bit of fun out here" He said, Lucas gave him a dark look.

"Well look elsewhere she is my 'bit of fun' and I don't share. I'm sure Hooper warned you off her" Lucas said.

"No"

"Then pass the word round anyone who touches her will answer to me" he said as he pulled his gun and placed it on the table to silently telegraphing that anyone who touched Amelia would be shot for their actions.

"You can't be serious" The soldier said incredulously at him. Lucas looked at him with a cold unwavering stare as if to say 'try me'. The soldier backed away and rose his hands up in surrender. "Fine she's all yours, hell you could do with a good lay maybe it'll make you more human like the rest of us"

"Yes because of everything I desire I want to be like you" Lucas drawled sarcastically as he sat back in his chair. The soldiers took it as their cue to go back to their own meals and turned their discussion to what they were going to be doing tomorrow. Lucas however let his eyes wander to Amelia who had her hair loose around her shoulders. She had a lovely blush of embarrassment across her cheeks at whatever Carter was telling her. He didn't like the soldiers discussing her like she was a piece of flesh. She was living breathing beautiful woman who didn't deserve to be here but did deserve to be treated respectfully.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A couple of weeks later, Amelia was sitting at the table tapping her foot incessantly to the point Lucas was ready to cut it off just for some peace and quiet. He hadn't slept well the previous night due to nightmares and thus his patience was thin.

"Will you stop" he asked her politely.

"What?" Amelia asked as she looked up from the plex she was reading.

"Tapping your foot" he said.

"I'm cold" she admitted.

"Then you should have said so" Lucas told her as he went to the bed and pulled the blanket off the cot and moved to Amelia and wrapped it around her.

"Thanks" Amelia said as she pulled the blanket around her more tightly and gave a sigh of relief.

"I take it you're not one for the cold" Lucas said as he retook his chair.

"Definitely not, I prefer summer. Please tell me it's not going to get colder than it is now" Amelia said it also didn't help that she was starving for a solid meal. Lucas, Carter and Alicia had been sharing their food with her as her meals were inedible but it wasn't enough to sate her but she didn't want to sound ingrateful and complain either.

"It's only 15 degrees it's not that cold" he told her.

"Yeah it's freezing" Amelia told him. He gave a small smile as he retook his seat, he pulled out a flask from leg pocket and placed it on the table beside the plate of fruit he kept stocked just for her as Hooper was still restricting her food allowance. In fact he had restricted it to the point she only was given a half rotten piece of fruit and a cup of water. Lucas shared his dinner portion with her as he was always given heathly portions but knew Amelia was still suffering. She had a high metabolism reflected by her tone and thin physique, vegetable broth and fruit wasn't enough. She needed carbohydrates and meat and much more than what Lucas was able to give her without Hooper getting into a snit.

"Have a sip" he said gesturing to the flask.

"What is it?" Amelia asked.

"Booze, it'll warm you up" he told her.

"No thanks" Amelia said.

"You've never had alcohol have you?" he asked as he still marvelled at how innocent she really was. She never drank, she never stepped a toe out of line, he was pretty sure she hadn't done anything most 17 year olds had.

"No" Amelia said.

"Go on just take a sip you won't get drink off of one sip"

"My mother told me never to bow to peer pressure"

"Live a little, it's the only booze in the camp and you're the only person I'd share it with" he told her as he picked up the flask and unscrewed and offered it to her. Amelia took the flask and tentatively sniffed it.

"Smells like turpentine" Amelia told him.

"You could strip paint off the walls with it if you were so inclined" Lucas said amused at how he was corrupting her.

"You're a bad influence" Amelia said as she took a sip and swallowed the burning liquid it burned a hot trail down her throat and made her cough as she handed back the flask. "That's horrible" she wheezed. Lucas laughed as he capped the flask and put it back into his pocket.

"It's an acquired taste" he said still smiling.

"You don't drink it?" Amelia asked as she coughed again.

"Not unless it is a really bad day and I need to relax" he told her with amused expression.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Amelia asked him.

"Go ahead if I don't like the question I won't answer it"

"The scars on your neck, how did you get them?"

"It happened in the first couple of weeks I was living out here. A Nykorapter attacked me, another couple of inches and it would have had my jugular. I was lucky to survive" He said as he unconsciously covered the scar for a moment with his hand.

"Wow, what happened? How did you get away?"

"I'm a fast climber. Now tell me how you got your scars" He said.

"My scars?" she asked as she uncapped a canteen of water and took a sip.

"The bullet wounds to your abdomen" he said.

"How do you know about them?" she asked.

"I helped look after you when you were injured and burning a fever" he said, Amelia went a dark shade of red as she didn't know that he looked after her. Which meant he had seen her naked, she had never kissed a guy or been on a date now the guy she has a crush on has seen her naked it was the only way he could have known about the scars.

What she didn't know was that he hadn't seen her naked at all. He had been watching her sleep in her fever she fidgeted and shifted that the shirt she was wearing road up so he saw the scars when he was pulling said shirt down. People may think he was a monster but he still had some manners and he was trying to turn over a new leaf with Amelia.

"Right, well-"

"If you don't want to talk about it" Lucas drawled.

"It's not a big deal my brother's friend shot me" she said with a shrug.

"why?"

"His mind was bent from his last deployment. It happens, he was sleepwalking and going through the motions of his dream and he thought I was enemy and shot me. My brother and mother warned me not to go wondering the house at night and I forgot because I was stressed about finals. I was thirsty didn't think and went downstairs for a glass of water. So it was my fault" Amelia said as if she was explaining why the sky was blue and not a traumatic event. She took another long pull of water and placed the canteen on the table.

"That's ridiculous it is not your fault. He shouldn't have had a gun and your family shouldn't have allowed you to be exposed to such dangers like that" Lucas said thinking of his father and how he dragged him and his mother all around the world to dangerous places.

"It's not a big deal. It was an accident and if anything I got 4 months off school and a free pass on my finals" Amelia said with a smile. He wondered if it was a 21st century attitude or just something that was solely Amelia's personality that she just accepted things as they were and didn't dwell long on them.

"Only 4 months?" he asked confused as the only reason his recovery was shorter was due to 22nd medicine Dermaspray that healed his wounds.

"The other two were my summer holidays. It got me out of summer school and my mother's ideas fun" Amelia said.

"Oh?"

"Camping in the middle of the forest and then she would disappear in the middle of night. Leaving me with nothing but a bottle of water, a map and leatherman to fend for myself and make it back to civilisation" Amelia said rolling her eyes.

"Sounds like fun" Lucas drawled sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, I was that freak at school that no one wanted to be friends with because she wasn't allowed to go to parties or even the movies unless her mother was deployed to some mystery country of hour. She was so over protective and controlling about me every day of the year yet would leave stranded in a forest" Amelia said with a sigh.

"Well I guess that saves you learning survival tricks for out here" Lucas said.

"I don't have my leatherman" Amelia said with a smile as she knew Lucas had it. At least she knew it was in good hands.

"You won't need it" he assured her.

"Says you" Amelia said pouting as she missed her leatherman it was a handy tool to have.

"Hmm well I should get back to the calculations and you to your studies" he said marking that the conversation was over once again.

"Actually I have noticed something" Amelia said.

"And what was that?" Lucas asked.

"That sequence line over there is wrong" Amelia said pointing to the far wall behind him. He frowned and turned in his seat.

"Which line?" he asked. Amelia got up from her seat and walked over to the wall and pointed to the line in question.

"It doesn't make sense. You can't have this answer from those equations…" She continued to explain her understanding of what she saw was wrong with the equation as Lucas rose from his chair to stand behind her. He was amazed in the few weeks she had been studying that she could actually spot something he had missed and be able to give a view in her limited understanding that made sense. He gave a closed smile as he looked down at her completely impressed.

"…so- what am I wrong?" She asked as she noticed him looking down at her "I know I don't have a PhD. so you can be honest and tell me I'm completely wrong" she said blushing as she felt him standing incredibly close to her but was too shy to look up at him in case he was angry. She really had to stomp her crush on him out of existance as she was so wound up with him close but had no clue what to do about it. As she was starting to read into everything he did. For all she knew in the 22nd century people had no concept of personal space

"No, your assumption is correct." he said close to her ear, he really did enjoy making her blush and she smelt vaguely like a flower that grew deep in the jungle. He could tell she had a crush on him and while he liked her on all levels he was never going to engage her in a relationship. She deserved better than him long term, but that didn't mean he couldn't dip his toes in and indulge her attention.

"You're not mad?" Amelia asked carefully.

"No" he said laughing a true laugh as he thought it was hilarious. "Why should I be mad?" he asked.

"I don't know I'm a novice and you've spent years on this" she said, he knew she was completely innocent as he knew a woman with more experience would have turned around and pounced him by now.

"Yes and I am the first to admit I am too close to my work" he said as he moved to her left side and continued "As such I'll not see the mistakes as my mind will jump over them which is why I need someone like you. I knew you would have an aptitude for Physics if you put your mind to it" he told her as he pulled the sheet down from the wall.

"You would have seen the mistake eventually" Amelia said dismissively.

"You don't know how to take a compliment do you?" Lucas asked.

"There was a compliment in what you said?" Amelia asked innocently as she was pretty sure it was a backhanded compliment at best.

"I wouldn't want you to get an ego. Smart arse" he mumbled the last part.

"What's that about my ass?" Amelia asked cheekily which was also borderline flirtatious. He rolled his eyes and pointed to the table indicating she should get back to her studies. Amelia smiled as she went back to the table and sat down. She picked up her plex and went back to her studies as Lucas went about to correcting his mistake.

* * *

"How do you feel Lucas is progressing with the calculations?" Hooper asked Mira as he took a seat at the table Mira was at in the Mess.

"Apparently he's getting closer to the answers, my feelings are irrelevant" Mira said.

"Really he told you that?" Hooper asked as he had been watching Lucas and the girl from afar. He knew whatever progress was being made was small as Lucas was too busy flirting and 'being a gentleman' which was a waste of time. He didn't understand why Lucas didn't have his way with the girl and get her out of his system.

"Yes, he and the girl have been going over the calculations together apparently she is helping him and it's making things go faster" Mira said.

"I think she is a distraction as he hasn't even looked at the terminus yet. I'm getting impatient" Hooper said which was true, he was bored. He was also angry that the only way he could punish the girl was to starve her and even that wasn't successful as Lucas, Lt Washington and Carter shared their food with her. He knew if he put the girl into solitary Lucas would stall his work completely. He didn't know why he was focussed on the girl but knew he had to get rid of her.

"We all want to return to the future but it takes time and patience" Mira said as she took a long pull of her broth.

"We've been out here too long. We've lost too many people. I think it's time we speed things up. Shed unnecessary distractions" Hooper said.

"Unnecessary distractions?" Mira asked for clarification.

"I think it's time we got rid of the girl Lucas is carrying on with. She's a distraction" Hooper said, he had a glint in his eyes of someone who was restless.

"Why? She isn't distracting anyone" Mira said as she actually believed the girl was helping Lucas. She was keeping Lucas focussed and helping him correct minor mistakes that affected the outcomes. she personally saw no harm in the girl being around and thus didn't understand Hooper's obsession in killing her.

"She is, she is distracting Lucas and she is still draining our resources" Hooper said making lame excuses, Mira now knew he was bored and he was just picking on the weakest person in the camp. It wasn't the first time but at least he was stupid enough to discuss who he wanted to kill before going about it. Like he needed someone to give him approval, it allowed Mira to decide whether to save the person or not.

"You're a drain on our resources. The girl stays" Mira said.

"You really think we need her?" Hooper asked.

"If you are worried about resources perhaps you should leave the camp and collect some. So far it's only my people who collect the food and scrimmage this jungle for the supplies we need while your soldiers sit pretty on their collective asses" Mira drawled darkly.

"They are protecting this camp"

"From what?" Mira asked.

"Carnos and Taylor"

"I haven't seen a carno in this neck of the jungle in months and Taylor is too busy believing he has won this war and enjoying his victory in the Colony to care about us. When Lucas is finished with the calculations he will move onto fixing the terminus trust me he wants to crush his old man. So just relax and we've waited this long what is a couple more months. We'll also have to figure out a way of acquiring the equipment to fix the Terminus" Mira told him.

"We'll raid the colony when we have a list. We still outnumber Taylor's soldiers" Hooper said with a shrug like it was truly that simple, he got to his feet and Mira watched him walk away.

* * *

Alicia stood in the makeshift doorway to Lucas's bungalow. She folded her arms as she watched Lucas and Amelia talking to one another as though they were in a whole entire different place and time.

She watched as Lucas said something that made Amelia laugh and Lucas laughed which was a surprise to Alicia as she hadn't heard Lucas ever laugh out of humour since his mother died. Sure when someone told a joke he'd give a chuckle but remain his usually reserved self. Most of the time that chuckle sounded patronising like he was laughing more at the person than the joke.

She wondered how long she could get away with watching the two before they noticed she was there. She was definitely going to have to have a talk with Amelia about keeping an appropriate distance from Lucas as the first three conversations had apparently fallen on death ears as Amelia was definitely looking too cosy and very much smitten with Lucas Taylor.

* * *

"Carter" Mira said as she stopped by the table Alicia, Carter and Amelia were seated at eating their dinner.

"Yes?" Carter asked looking up at her.

"I want a word with you privately" Mira said she looked at Amelia and then Alicia "Now" she added.

Carter go up from his chair and followed Mira out of the mess. Alicia watched them go before turning to Amelia.

"What do you think that is about?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know but Hooper's getting antsy, we need to keep a low profile as he's got that look" Alicia said as she piled some more vegetables from Carter's tray onto Amelia's.

"What look?" Amelia asked.

"Like he wants to kill someone" Alicia said.

"Oh, ok" Amelia said paling at the thought of who it could be and knowing she didn't want to be that person.

"So you want to explain why you are getting cosy with Lucas when I warned you not to do so?" Alicia asked in a low voice as she didn't want anyone nearby to hear them.

"I'm not getting cosy" Amelia said defensively.

"You two certainly looked cosy. Amelia you have to be careful" Alicia said cautioning Amelia.

"I know, you told me he's unbalanced and what he did during the occupation to you and I'm not saying he's changed or that I'm disillusioned. Trust me I understand there are a few screws loose with him but he hasn't been cruel to me, he's been a gentleman considering with this collar he could do whatever he wanted to me and I wouldn't have a choice" Amelia said.

"You know he's nice to you because you're helping him open a portal back to the future to bring armies back to crush his father. He only cares about getting his revenge and destroying his father. He treats you the way he does because he needs you" Alicia said although she didn't quite believe what she was saying she just wanted Amelia to be more cautious as she didn't want Amelia to get hurt.

"I think it's more than that. To be honest at first it's all calculations and physics but now half the time we aren't even doing the calculations. He's usually too busy teaching me or we talk about other stuff. I don't think he's made any progress at all if anything I'm a major distraction" Amelia said in a low voice making sure no one heard her. She was trying to be positive and she was kind of hopeful that he actually liked her and it wasn't all just an elaborate act.

Alicia looked surprised at the knowledge as she thought Lucas was deeply consumed by his work and would not be distracted from his work even for a few moments. But then the cosiness she had witness was coming from both sides he genuinely appeared to be interested in her.

"Just don't get caught by Hooper or Mira okay keep him focussed on the calculations because if they know he's slacking off then they are going to punish you not him and you need to-" Alicia told her.

"I know I don't want to stir up trouble or draw any unnecessary attention to myself" Amelia said.

"Exactly" Alicia said.

* * *

"He what?" Carter asked as he was sure he didn't hear Mira correctly. They were standing in Mira's bungalow as her place was on the outer edges of the settlement. Also because Mira didn't want any soldiers overhearing them.

"Hooper's getting restless" Mira said.

"Ok then let's just dispose of him before he gets us first" Carter said.

"It's not that simple and you know it. We are outnumbered by the Phoenix soldiers two to one and Hooper controls everything. I'm not one to usually stand in Hooper's way but he's settled on disposing of the girl Lucas is infatuated with" Mira said.

"Amelia? Why?"

"He thinks she is a distraction and I know she is not. Lucas has been stalled in his work but this girl shows up and suddenly he's doing more than sitting in his chair staring at the walls. I'm not allowing Hooper to kill her, it will only stall Lucas's work but we can't stop him and I think he's going to use his men to do it" Mira said as she knew Hooper was a man who liked to watch than actually get in first hand since the incident with Sosa.

"What do you suggest?" Carter asked.

"It's time for us to make a new alliance" Mira said it was time they gave up their mission with the Phoenix soldiers. It was something the sixers had been debating after the first couple of months of them out in the jungle with the soldiers.

"No" Carter said as he was against the idea even if he hated the Phoenix soldiers they did have their uses and the other options for how they would complete the mission and get back to 2149 left something to be desired. Especially since it meant grovelling back to the colony for Taylor's help and bowing to whatever punishment the old man deemed appropiate and hope he decides it's best to reopen the portal and hope the second invasion happens and they all get released again.

"Yes" Mira prompted as she already knew his stand on the subject.

"I'm against it" he told her.

"You're only against it as Taylor will want his lapdog back"

"Don't call Alicia a lapdog"

"Love is a funny thing"

"I know, she breaks 3 ribs and my nose and I still love her."

"Let's get back on topic. You know but we have no choice, once he kills the prisoners who do you think is going to go next. Remember what he did to Sosa?" Mira asked, Carter cursed under his breath as he didn't need reminding. Sosa was a female sixer that rejected Hooper's advances when he got bored.

The others got to her aid before any damage had been done but Hooper later brutally scarred her face in a second attack to assuage his bruised ego. Claimed he didn't want her distracting the men with her beauty. It was after that event that the sixers closed ranks on their female members making sure all them were spoken for and never alone as Hooper's men like to go around in small packs. They learned that if the women were touched they would either end up with broken bones or dead.

"Fine do you want to go or should I?" Carter asked. Mira looked at him like it was already decided that it would be he gave a sigh "I'm taking a motorcycle" Carter added.

"That's fine just make sure you get them here as soon as possible. I can only cover your absence for 24 hours any longer and Hooper will get suspicious" Mira said.

"Do the others agree?"

"I will get consensus"

"I'm not going unless we have consensus" Carter told her.

"I will have for you in an hour be prepared" Mira told him. He gave an incline of his head and walked away.

* * *

"What did Mira want?" Alicia asked when Carter rejoined Amelia and her at the table. He looked a little annoyed as he took a long pull of his water.

"Not here, not in front of the kid" he whispered jokingly into her ear from anyone who was looking their way they'd just assume carter was whispering something incredibly dirty in her ear as Alicia rolled her eyes at him as she pushed him back to his original position.

"Of course not" Alicia drawled as she had played this game before and usually the secret wasn't worth all the hype. "Amelia isn't a child, she's a young adult who is quite capable of making decisions for herself"

"Did I miss something here?" Carter asked as he looked down and noticed he was missing some vegetables from his tray but he said nothing. Instead he picked up his fork and dug in.

"Alicia was just warning me to be more careful when I'm with Lucas" Amelia said, Carter felt his stomach churn as he was now worried about what Hooper was planning for Amelia. He was going to have to swallow his pride along with his meagre dinner and go to the colony without concesus as Amelia was too good a person to die a horrible and agonising death just because Hooper was bored.

"With Lucas, I never thought I'd hear anyone use that phrase and make it sound like a romance in the making" Carter teased as he couldn't help himself.

"It's not like that" Amelia told him as she blushed giving away that she wanted it to be like that but wouldn't openly admit it.

"It never will be like that" Alicia said.

"Never say never babe look at us" Carter said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Remove your arm now or I'll break it and don't call me 'babe'." Alicia told him darkly. Carter removed his arm from her person and returned to eating his food. He took all of Alicia's threats seriously as she had enough anger in her to make good on her threats.

"Ok sugar plum" Carter said before eating another bite of his dinner.

"You're just asking for me to hurt you" Alicia told him.

"Well you did say it was the only kind of physical contact we'd have" he drawled in a smart ass manner and a cheeky smile. Not even Alicia could resist as she gave a small smile and shook her head at him as she chuckled at him.

* * *

_TBC~ I do have a chapter halfway done so I will try and post it sometime this week just to keep things moving instead of a two week wait!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: As promised an update as I need to keep the story moving ..lol this is just for this week.. they'll be an update next week and then back to fortnightly updates :-)... Thank you for the reviews and as always ENJOY!_

* * *

Chapter 7

Amelia held her necklace up and watched as the moonlight lit up the compass dial. She could never sleep with the full moon as it was too bright in the bungalow that and Carter usually snored and did so loudly but tonight he had disappeared after the phoenix soldiers changed shift. She had overheard Alicia asking where he was going and why and all Carter said was that Mira wanted him to go and move one of the many supply stores the sixers had and he'd be back the next afternoon. Then Carter joked that Alicia wouldn't miss him and what followed sounded like a quick kiss before Alicia told him to go and not be eaten by the local wild life.

To which he replied that he loved her too. Amelia of course pretended to be sleeping at the time. She was envious of them even though they had an eventful and not so pretty love story they were still in each other's life. Amelia had no connections to her old life and she missed her family even her mother and her rigid ways. She missed hearing her Mom saying goodnight to her, she hated that she was starting to forget the sound of her mother and her brother's voice. Tears slid down the sides of her face as she dropped the necklace onto her chest and turned to onto her side. She hated not being able to sleep at night as it gave her too much time to reflect on the negative aspects of her present life and everything she was missing out on from her previous life.

It was like an ache in her chest and throat that never went away. Always in the background gnawing and making itself be known. The only times she didn't feel it so intensely was when she was with Alicia and Carter at meal times and when Lucas lightened up and was conversational. She was really in deep with him as she wished they had met in a previous time where they didn't have the dynamic of him being her captor and her his prisoner. In a time where Lucas wasn't so paranoid he would think any feeble attempt she made at flirting or making a move on him wasn't percieved as some ploy or manipulation.

She did smile however as her physics knowledge had improved dramatically being in his company. She remembered complaining to her brother what a failure she felt at the topic and his response had been if a good looking man taught her physics she'd paid attention and be top of her class as she'd want to impress him. How right he was about that. She turned back onto her back as her ribs complained from lying on her side and she gave a quiet sigh wishing sleep would take over her.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when Carter pulled up out in the large empty field before the perimeter fence to Terra Nova colony. He was out far enough the sonic cannons couldn't touch him but visible that he could be spotted. He propped the bike on its stand and pulled himself off the bike and stretched his legs as he waited for his welcoming party to arrive. It had taken all night and all morning to get to the Colony that was including the long hike with the bike out of the camp far enough to make some noise and disappear he was definitely in need a hot shower and a good meal none of which he would get here.

It didn't take long for the welcoming party to arrive and soon Carter was standing face to face with Commander Taylor and his side kick Sheriff Shannon.

"What no cavalry?" Carter asked looking put out in a mocking fashion. He really hated Commander Taylor as the old man looked like he just reeled in a prize fish when he did nothing at all.

"There's only you out here alone" Taylor said which was why he and only Shannon came out. They could dispatch of Carter if needs be.

"That's right, I'm here on my own. I need your help" Carter told him.

"Must have been hard for you to come all the way out here and tell me that" Taylor said with an amused smile but Carter knew better. Taylor was pissed to see him and probably wanted to kill him on the spot. "You don't write, you don't call and now you slither out of the jungle begging for help" Taylor continued.

"I'm not begging I'm asking for your help" Carter corrected.

"And why would I help you?" Taylor asked.

"Because I'm offering you a golden opportunity to be a hero, save Lieutenant Washington and stop your son from opening the portal back to the future" Carter said.

"Lieutenant Washington and my son are dead" Taylor bit out coldly.

"No, they are very much alive and well" Carter said.

"I don't believe you" Taylor said. Carter slowly reached into his back pocket and held his other hand up in surrender as both Taylor and Jim had reached for their side arm out of habit. Carter pulled out a data chip for a plex and held it out to the men.

"Here, on this data chip are photos of your lieutenant from just a day ago. Along with everything you need to know about the sixers, the phoenix soldiers, our camp location, our defences. Everything you need to know and more" Carter told him.

"Really and why after all these months are you freely giving this up?" Taylor asked. Carter took a deep breath and started talking.

He told Taylor and Shannon about the terminus connection that didn't work but left out the information that it was a test run on a different fracture and left out the fact that it fried the terminus making it nonoperational. He did however mention Amelia and said she was the glitch. How she appeared in the badlands in crashed her yellow car into a rover. He said he didn't know the specifics or science of how that happened. He continued to talk of Hooper's prediliction for maiming women and laid it on pretty thick that Hooper was torturing Alicia for kicks until he stepped in for Alicia. He told them how Hooper maimed a female sixer which caused a rift between the group. But Hooper is the power leader as he has more men and guns.

That Hooper promised to cool his distasteful habits but now he was displaying his want to maim and kill Amelia as the girl was taking up space and resources that he knew Alicia would sacrifice herself again for the girl but it would be a waste of two lives. Carter figured an innocent girl dragged through the portal into their problems and suffering for it would imbue some sympathy and action from Taylor to help the sixers along with the want to recover their Lieutenant.

"-Think about it. Control the past and you control the future. If you take out the phoenix soldiers and the sixers surrender you're king of the jungle again. You can fix the terminus or not but you'll no longer have to keep wondering if Lucas is close to bringing an army to your door again." Carter finished.

"You said he had contact with the future" Jim said,

"Yes, a data burst with a letter from General Melina St Claire addressed to you" Carter said pointing to Taylor. Taylor kept a neutral face but he was inwardly surprised Melina St Claire was alive let a lone a general. She had been one of the commanders stationed in Somalia the same time as him. Half her unit had been slaughter and the other half including herself had become captives in russo-chinese psy-ops internment camp for three years. She and only 30 of her soldiers survived half of them commited suicide within the first six months stateside. She had been demoted and put on administrative leave last time he had heard. He never imagined she'd make commander again let alone be promoted to General.

"I hope you didn't read my mail" Taylor drawled.

"No, I'm not interested in your correspondence" Carter said dryly.

"Ok, we'll look over your information and get back to you" Taylor said as he motioned to Jim for them to leave.

"How long will you take?" Carter asked.

"I don't know you have somewhere to be?" Taylor asked.

"I need your answer in the next hour as I have to get back to the camp before they notice I'm missing. Before Hooper knows I left Alicia and Amelia unguarded." Carter said impatiently he felt he was already gone too long. he didn't want to wait around while the others decided whether they'd get off their asses and help.

"If Wash is alive as you say then she can look after herself" Taylor said.

"She's cuffed" Carter said, it was enough to make both men pale as anyone with a history in the military or law knew what being cuffed meant.

"Cuffed as in with a neck cuff? You can't be serious" Jim said as Carter nodded. Jim had run into kids and women of drug dealers who used the cuff to keep their women in line and children to behave. It was cruel to say the least and was against the law.

"No, I just like being dramatic of course I'm serious. If Hooper knows I'm gone he's going to go after Amelia and Alicia will get in his way. It won't end well for anyone" Carter said.

"Stay here and I'll give you an answer in 45 minutes" Taylor said. he and Jim got back into their rover an drove back to the colony.

"I see where Lucas gets his hospitality skills from" Carter mumbled under his breath as he kicked up the stand of the bike and rolled it over to a nearby tree so he'd be in the shade.

* * *

"So, you ready for another fun day of calculations?" Alicia asked in a teasing tone as she and Amelia walked to the mess. Amelia gave a sigh as Alicia was always telling her to keep her distance but just like Carter she couldn't help but tease Amelia about it.

"Oh yeah" Amelia said dryly she felt ill from the lack of sleep and crying, the cold weather wasn't helping her less than sunny disposition. They reached the entryway when two soldiers stepped infront of them.

"You can't come in today" One of the soldiers told them.

"Excuse me?" Alicia asked as she had never been barred from the mess before.

"Prisoners are not allowed any rations today due to food shortages" The soldier said.

"That's bullshit" Alicia said angrily.

"Hooper's orders" the other said smugly.

"Of course it is" Alicia said shaking her head as she was glad Carter had the foresight to always stash some MREs for an emergency. Alicia considered this qualifying as an emergency as Carter was out of the settlement, she and Amelia needed their wits about them. Not to be flagging from being hunger and lack of sleep. Alicia was a light sleeper thus she heard every toss and turn Amelia made last night.

"Come on" Alicia said to Amelia as she pulled on the young woman's arm. "We need to be careful today" Alicia said in a low voice.

"When are we ever not careful or not keeping our heads down and our asses out of trouble?" Amelia asked not that she had been looking forward to her half rotten piece of fruit and slightly suspect cup of broth but she was hungry and tired. Tired that extended further than just a lack of sleep.

"Hey, I know you're crabby from little sleep and the meagre meals but I have a bad feeling ok?" Alicia told her.

"Ok, can we go back to our place so I can lie down I'm feeling really unwell" Amelia said as a sickly shiver ran through her it was always a precursor to nausea and the want to vomit. Two things she really hated to experience.

"Sure, we have water and you can have half an MRE pack. We'll have to ration as I have no idea how long the restrictions will be for" Alicia said. Amelia nodded wishing she were as sturdy as Alicia.

"What about you?" Amelia asked.

"I'll be fine. Once Carter is back he'll sort out some food us. You on the other hand need as much food as we can get you right now" Alicia said.

* * *

"This feels like a trap" Jim said looking at the intelligence Carter had provided them that was currently being displayed on a large screen in the Command centre. He, Taylor and Guzman had been looking at the screen for the past half an hour.

"No it's having everything single fact you need to plan the perfect attack. We can infiltrate from the tree tops and from below on the ground. A couple snipers to lay down cover fire from here and here" Guzman said pointing at the map "If the sixers are on our side then we can use surprise to our advantage."

"I want the minimum of soldiers on this. All volunteers" Taylor said.

"We are really going to do this?" Jim asked, he was all for saving Alicia is she were alive but it looked like a suicide mission where the sixers and phoenix soldiers would just cut them down before they got near the camp.

"Yes, Carter's right I can't stand not knowing what they are up to if we can resolve the issue and take control of Lucas and the Terminus while eliminating the phoenix soldiers then we should. That way we can final get on with our lives without having to look over our shoulders wondering if my son is going to march another army out of the jungle" Taylor said.

"I would sleep better at night knowing the Phoenix soldiers aren't out there" Guzman said.

"Guzman, I want volunteers. We gear up to leave in half an hour" Taylor told him. Guzman nodded and left the command centre. Jim turned to Taylor and threw his hands up in the air.

"So we are doing this?" Jim asked.

"I am doing this, you can volunteer or stay behind and look after the colony. Your choicebut I have to talk with Malcolm about rigging up a jammer for the cuffs so Hooper can't flick the kill switch" Taylor said as he moved to the gun cabinent to the side of the room. Opening it and strapping on a thigh holster and holtering a gun before looking at the larger guns deciding which one he would take.

"Are you doing this to get your son or Wash?" Jim asked.

"Both" Taylor said as he continued to look at the guns.

"It wasn't your fault we both saw her get shot in the head." Jim said he knew the old man was racked with guilt over Alicia's sacrifice.

"I still should have gone to get her remains" Taylor said.

"You were rebuilding a colony and you have no proof she is alive except Carter's word"

"It doesn't matter. I tell my men we never leave a person behind and if we have to we take their spare tags to give their family and get the body later but I left her behind."

"She sacrificed herself, we gave her a funeral."

"It won't matter to her"

"I just think you shouldn't be running into this so blindly"

"Nothing blind about Carter and the sixers want the phoenix soldiers gone I want the terminus and my son. Getting Wash back is a bonus. So you coming or staying here?" Taylor asked as he pulled a gun off the rack and held out to Jim.

"I'm in. If Wash is alive I owe to her to go as she saved me and my family" Jim said taking the gun.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked Amelia as she was incredibly pale as she looked down at the plate of food curiously but at least she wasn't shivering anymore. It worried him that just a few days on little food was affecting her so badly. He had dropped by Carter's bungalow when Amelia didn't show up to find Amelia sleeping while Alicia was sitting nearby reading Carter's handheld plex to pass the time.

Alicia explained what happened at the mess that Amelia was unwell from lack of food, the colder temperatures and the fact Amelia was still healing from her injuries. She would eventually adapt but for right now she needed some time and sleep. Lucas nodded in understanding and left them. He came back around lunch with some meagre offerings as he didn't want to raise any unwarranted attention from Hooper. He told Alicia to bring Amelia to his place that way Hooper would get ticked off at him not Alicia or Amelia directly.

Alicia did as asked and he made sure he had a generous serving of dinner that could be shared between three with ease. Alicia took her portion before she was called away by Mira because a Sixer injured himself and needed medical attention. Alicia reluctantly left Lucas and Amelia by themselves.

"The meat is light purple" Amelia said as she had never seen anything like it. She was currently rugged up in two blankets looking down at the meat in the half filled bowl of stew she was so hungry but nauseous at the same time.

"It's Nykoraptor" He told her as he watched her, her honey brown hair was in a messy low bun with several tendrils of hair framing her face. She looked beautiful even though she was ill with dark circles under her eyes. He really had to be careful that he didn't openly stare at her as he knew she found it uncomfortable as she didn't realise or seem to comprehend how beautiful she was. He found it was a very attractive quality along with her lack of ability to lie. Honesty was such a rare commidity, he hoped she never changed as he liked being able to read her like an open book. He reminded himself in another lifetime he would have probably asked her out but not this and was constantly reminding himself of that line.

"Really?" Amelia asked looking up at him.

"Yes now eat, you need the protein and something more than water, fruit and root vegetables" Lucas told her with an amused smile as Amelia picked up the spoon and picked up a piece of meat and ate it.

"Mmm it tastes like crocodile" Amelia commented as she ate another bite. Lucas chuckled before he took a sip of water from his canteen.

"Crocodiles will be their descendants millions of years from now" Lucas commented.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Amelia asked him as she continued eating the meat. Normally she wasn't big on eating meat and ate more vegetables but right now she was craving and thoroughly enjoying the Nykoraptor as it was hitting the spot.

"No, I'm fine"

"Come on, you have to be starving" Amelia said, Lucas picked up the fork that was on the table and stabbed a piece of vegetable and ate it.

"Happy?" Lucas asked as he placed the spare fork on the table.

"Only if you share half with me" Amelia told him as she pushed the plate to the middle of the table. "Eat the Nykoraptor it's really good" she said.

"I'm not a fan of the meat. I prefer baby ankylosaurus or any dinosaur that isn't primarily carnivorous" Lucas informed her.

"Pretty picky for a guy who lives in a tree in the jungle" Amelia commented as she chuckled at the thought one could just go to a restaurant and ordered a dinosaur steak from a menu to their taste preferences.

"I've lived out here long enough to know what I like and don't. So the meat is all yours" he told her.

* * *

Hooper watched the 'happy' couple sharing a plate of food from the balcony off a bungalow a few trees away. It annoyed him to no end how Lucas was playing house with the girl and not doing his work. Hooper wanted the young man focussed on his task as he was sick of living in the jungle, sick of this current mission as it was fast becoming a long term mission instead of the short term one that he had signed onto.

It rankled him as Lucas was distracted and probably letting his work slack off in the pursuit of the girl. She was wearing a collar, it wasn't like Lucas had to wine and dine her when he could just take her and get her out of his system and get on with his job.

* * *

"Feel better?" Lucas asked after they finished the dinner together, he purposely ate slower so Amelia had more to eat.

"Yes, thank you" she said with a sigh as she sat back in her chair.

"Don't mention it, you have to take care of you. If they continue these restrictions I guess you'll be eating three meals a day with me" Lucas said. Amelia blushed at the thought as this was probably the only time she'd have anything close to a date with a guy, a thought that made her feel pretty messed up as Lucas never showed any inclination that he liked her as anything more than a friend. She didn't really know how to respond. Saying 'That would be awesome as we get to spend more time together' sounded too fan girl for her liking.

"I guess it wouldn't be too bad as I'd get more than a half rotten piece of fruit and water" Amelia said teasingly as she smiled.

"I don't want you falling ill" he said which was the typical shut down of Lucas. At least they were friends she told herself.

"I don't either" Amelia said as she was ready to fall asleep but didn't want to. "It probably didn't help that I didn't sleep well last night" she offerd with a shrug.

"Why were you cold?" he asked.

"No I just tossed and turned, Carter wasn't there chain snoring to block out all the noises of the jungle and my thoughts."

"Thoughts?"

"I just keep thinking about things"

"The calculations?" he asked, Amelia shook her head as calculations were the last thing on her mind yet with Lucas they were priority number one.

"No, I just think about my mom and my brother what I'm missing out on. I don't' want to but I can't help it. This cuff weighs on my neck like this reminder that I'm at rock bottom. I only time I don't feel like I'm wearing this thing or that I'm a prisoner is around you and doing this work." Amelia confessed her cheeks were a healthy shade of red as she looked at him nervously.

Lucas didn't really know how to respond but luckily he was saved from making a fool of himself as a woman cleared her throat. Lucas and Amelia turned and saw Alicia and Mira standing at the entryway.

"Sorry to interrupt but I'm here to collect Amelia. We need to get back to our place before sundown" Alicia said pointing at Amelia.

"Thanks for dinner" Amelia said to Lucas.

"Of course, we'll start fresh in the morning after breakfast" Lucas told Amelia.

"Ok" Amelia said as she pulled off the blanket he had lent her to keep her warm. Lucas tossed the blanket onto the cot and gave a nod to Alicia who left with Amelia before he looked to Mira.

"That looked cosy" Mira commented.

"I assume you are here for a reason" Lucas said as he retook his seat at the table.

"Yes I am" Mira said moving the chair Amelia had been sitting in to a new position so her back was to the entryway.

"I assume you'll come to the point and not draw this out to be a lengthy and painfully cryptic conversation as I'd like to do some work before I retire for the evening" Lucas drawled in a bored tone.

"Hooper wants to play with your girlfriend" Mira said she got the response she had expected as Lucas sat forward in his seat and gave her a cold look.

"Excuse me?" He asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Did I speak to fast for you?" Mira asked sarcastically.

"Why he is getting antsy this time?" Lucas asked changing tactics.

"Because he has a nice view right into here and watches you work or lack there of with the girl" Mira said jutting a thumb in the direction of the entryway.

"He thinks she is a distraction and it's time for her to go" she added.

"When did he tell you this?" Lucas asked.

"Last night"

"Why didn't you come to me immediately?"

"I was busy" Mira said with a minut shrug.

"Doing what?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

"The only thing I knew that will save us all in the long run" Mira told him casually as she knew Lucas was going to blow a fuse in mere seconds.

"What did I say about being cryptic?" Lucas asked feeling his anger rise.

* * *

Meanwhile just on the outskirts of the Sixers and Phoenix settlement,

Taylor and his men were slowly making their way through the dense foliage. The sun had set half an hour ago. It had been a long ride out to the middle of the jungle but so far the information Carter had given them was accurate. Taylor kept Carter close to him as he wanted to keep an eye on the man. Guzman had taken three men to set up sniper positions in the discussed areas they designated while Taylor and Jim with their groups moved into their positions to wait for the signal.

* * *

In Carter's Bungalow a few trees away from Lucas's

"I feel like I'm going to sick" Amelia said as nausea rolled through her. She had thought a good meal would have made things better but she felt worse.

"Here drink this tea, it'll settle the nausea" Alicia said as she handed Amelia a hot cup that smelt like ginger before disappearing to the other side of the bungalow. Amelia took a tentative sip of the tea when she heard heavy footfalls of soldiers coming into the room.

"Grab the girl" Hooper ordered. Amelia turned around and saw Hooper standing back as two soldiers came towards her. Before she could even put down cup the soldiers grabbed her by the arms and pulled her to her feet the cup of tea spilled onto the floor splashing hot tea on Amelia's legs. Alicia came back into the room hearing the spill and Amelia's cries to see Hooper and his men.

"Hoo-" Alicia made a low keening noise of pain as she dropped to the floor and convulsed as the collar around her neck electrocuted her.

"Stop it you're hurting her" Amelia told him as she pulled on her arms.

"It's the whole point girl" Hooper said as he pressed the button on a clear plastic card, Alicia continued to convulse in pain but gritted her teeth.

"Please stop!" Amelia shouted but Hooper smiled was enjoying himself too much as he told Alicia to scream for her life.

Amelia pulled and twisted against the soldiers holding her. The two men held onto her arms but she managed to wrench her right arm free and punched the soldier to her right in the throat. The soldier joked and stumbled and Amelia used the moves Alicia made her practice and kicked the choking soldier in the chest sending backwards into the railing. It broke and the soldier fell over the side.

She turned to the soldier still holding her arm in a crushing grip and went to punch him only her punch was blocked. She went wide eyed as the soldier smiled down at her as it was a test of strength and she was losing she relaxed her arms which threw him off balance and she used it to her advantage and headbutted him in the face before kneeing him in the groin. The headbutt hadn't been well placed but her knee to his groin had been spot on and hard.

He groaned as he dropped to the ground and she kicked him in the head. The soldier passed out with a groan, Amelia pulled the soldier's side arm and shakily held pointed at Hooper. Her hands shook as adrenalin ran through her. She felt her head swoon and blood trickle down her forehead from where she had been cut by the soldier's teeth from the badly placed headbutt.

"Stop or I'll shoot" Amelia told him but Hooper wither ignored her or was too busy enjoying Alicia's pain as he didn't turn around. So she shot the tree and wood splintered out from the blast. Hooper turned to her as she got his attention, he turned off the collar and Alicia stopped convulsing and looked at Amelia in awe wishing she could shoot Hooper herself.

"Well, Well. Look who got herself a gun" Hooper taunted her, his eyes were wild and his smile feral as he stalked towards her.

"Shoot him" Alicia told Amelia between breaths in a weak voice but Amelia couldn't pull the trigger. Her finger refused to pull the trigger as she was frozen, frightened by the look in Hooper's eyes.

"Yeah shoot me" Hooper said with a laugh before growing serious "You should because I'm going to kill you and it will be slow and painful" He told her but before Amelia could pull the trigger he wrenched the gun from her hand by the barrel and pistol whipped her across the face. She staggered back and clutched her injured side of her face as she tasted blood. Her head swooned from the pain as she straightened up as best as she could.

Hooper laughed as he tossed the gun to the floor. Amelia looked at it and tried to calculate whether she could reach it in time and shoot him. "Go on" he taunted her.

Instead Amelia raised her hands in a standard fighting position knowing that if she went for the gun he'd probably kick her in the head. It was a easy play but Amelia figured if she could kick the gun to Alicia then she could pull the trigger as Amelia was no match for Hooper in a fight. Hooper smiled as he dropped into neutral fighting pose.

"Ok, you want some broken bones. I told you I'd take my time. Come on I let you get in a free-" he didn't finish his sentence as Amelia used her palm and thrusted it up and into his nose. The cartilage in his nose crunched and Hooper crowed in pain as he staggered back clutching his face. Amelia tried to kick the gun across the floor towards Alicia but it fell short just outside of Alicia's reach.

"You broke my nose you bitch!" Hooper told her. Amelia tried to back kick but he caught her leg and punched her. his fist connecting with her left cheek before kicked out her supporting leg and she fell to the ground. She groaned from the pain and loooked over to the unconcious soldier saw the KaBar knife still in it's sheath. She rolled toward's him narrowly missing Hooper's foot as he tried to stomp her and reached the soldier.

She pulled the knife out but it was a misspent manoeuvre as Hooper's foot crushed down on her hand and wrist with such a force it was not hard to miss the noise of bone crunching. A bone chilling scream tore out of her throat as the pain seared through Amelia's nerve endings and body.

* * *

_TBC~Cya all next week!  
_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Huge Thank yous for the reviews as always :-D... I should say that I feel I should warn you all that I have at least another three stories on the mental drawing board for more Terra Nova fics.. so if you guys keep reading I will keep producing them! Anyways on another side note I've decided I'll be updating weekly to keep the flow going but not three chapter updates as they are hectic! lol! Anyways onwards with the story!_

* * *

Chapter8

"You sent Carter to get my old man without discussing it with me firs-" Lucas stopped mid rant at Mira when a blood curdling scream of pain filled the air. The blood and anger drained from to his feet as he recognised it was Amelia who was screaming. He didn't finish his sentence as he ran to the zip line and headed towards Carter's bungalow.

* * *

"That's Amelia" Carter said as he tried to break free but Taylor's soldiers stopped him when the screams filled the air. "He's maiming her as we speak, if we don't move now a 17 yr old kid's blood will be on your hands because you were waiting for a 'perfect moment' to execute" Carter spat vehemently.

"Ok, let's go" Taylor said as he heard the screams continued to pierce the air. He turned to Carter "You are taking me to where the girl is" he told him before he spoke into his comm. ordering his soldiers to execute their orders.

* * *

Alicia managed to roll onto her stomach and stretched her arm out as far as she could and managed to touch the grip of the gun. She gritted her teeth from the exertion as she slowly pulled the gun closer to her with her fingers. She looked up and saw Hooper kick Amelia onto her back. The girl was still crying out in pain as Hooper drop down onto his knees and straddle her blocking Alicia's view. It didn't take much imagination to know what he was doing as she heard Amelia choking for air and saw Amelia's feet and legs kicking as she struggled.

Alicia reached for the gun ignoring her own body's resistance and pain to pick up the gun. Once she had a firm grip on the handle she shakily lifted it as far as her muscles would allow her and aimed knowing she only had enough energy to pull the trigger a couple of times before her muscles gave out.

* * *

Lucas made it to the zip line to Carter's bungalow when all matter of hell broke loose on the ground. He saw his father and his soldiers appear out of the darkness, firing on the phoenix soldiers on the ground. The sounds of people crying out in pain and gunfire filled the air but Lucas ignored it as he was going after Hooper and saving Amelia.

He spotted his father easily as his old man and Carter were running his direction but Lucas wasn't going to stop to say 'hi' and catch up. He activated the zip line and flew up in the air. When he got to the top and stepped out onto the platform, three shots sounded. Lucas felt his heart stop and didn't think as he was scared of the worst and automatically dropped the line down and raced into the room drawing his gun.

He held his gun ready to kill Hooper but he was too late as Alicia's arm and the gun she was holding fell to the floor with a resounding thud. Lucas Hooper who was straddling Amelia and choking her was frozen in shock as blood seeped through his BDU shirt in two places on his chest. Lucas holstered the gun and moved quickly to Amelia and Hooper.

He dragged Hooper away leaving him to bleed to death as he went back to Amelia. She coughed and gasped for air, tears streaked down her face. She looked up at him her eyes filled with pain and pure fear but not of him as she used her good hand to grab onto his shirt and tried to lift herself up but she was too weak so Lucas carefully lifted her up into his arms. She held onto his shirt with her good hand tight as she cried an outpour of emotions.

He held her as tightly as he could while still be conscious of her injuries and murmured that everything was going to be alright and that she was safe, he had her. Even though he felt was far from it as he heard the soldiers fighting outside.

* * *

Taylor came into the bungalow moments later. Taylor looked at the scene before him shocked as he wasn't sure what the bigger surprise was, his assumed dead Lieutenant alive and breathing or Lucas cradling a young woman in his arms with care as she sobbed quietly. It was shocking as Lucas never cared for anyone besides himself and his goals. Even when Taylor was under the illusion his son was a good man he had never seen him display any empathy or care to another person since his mother's death.

Taylor holstered his gun and moved to Alicia who was trying vainly to push off the floor. "Wash" he said in a soft voice as he was overwhelmed with seeing her alive. He had thought she had perished and now it like some higher power was giving him a second chance to make up for the past.

"Don't touch me" Alicia said in a venomous tone to Taylor as his hands were mere centimetres from touching her. Taylor recoiled from her as if she were a deadly snake ready to attack at the slightest provocation.

He moved back as Carter came up and placed the med kit he was carrying on the floor by Alicia. He knelt over her and pressed his forehead to hers. Taylor felt instant jealousy over their familiarity and Alicia allowing Carter such intimacy. So he looked to his son marvelling that even he was still alive. It made no sense, Lucas had been shot twice in the chest and Alicia in the head with a pulse pistol yet they were both alive.

"Hey, you ok?" Carter asked as he cupped her face and pressed a soft kiss to her temple and then lips as she gave a nod. He pulled back looked down at her double checking that she was in fact ok.

"I'll be fine, he just used the collar. Go check on Amelia. Hooper did a number on her" Alicia told him as she allowed herself to give into the fatigue from her injuries and closed her eyes taking a sigh of relief.

"Ok I'll see you on the ground" Carter told her, he gave her another quick kiss before picking up the med kit and moving to Lucas and Amelia. Amelia who had been giving heart wrenching sobs of pain before was now quiet even though the tears were still streaking down her face. She looked to be in complete shock as her gaze was unfocussed and she was incredibly pale under the blood on her face. Her whole body was trembling even with Lucas holding her. He had tried to lay her down into the customary recovery position for shock but she wouldn't let him.

"Lucas, I'm going to have to disarm you. We have surrendered to your old man and return to the colony. It was the only way" Carter said as he darted his eyes to Taylor who looked completely out of place. His old man looked at a loss as to what to do or say he hadn't seen him like that since his mother's death.

Lucas gave a nod and lifted his arm up just enough for Carter to reach between him and Amelia and pull the gun free. He knew Amelia needed medical attention as her right hand and wrist were swollen badly and her index and middle finger were sitting at sickening angles. It wasn't enough to pop bones back into place, she would need surgery. There was also the injuries he was sure she had a bruised larynx, broken ribs and she had a laceration to her cheek which was swollen and still bleeding. All he could think of was that it was his fault but instead of wallowing in his guilt he held her and comforted her. She was the priority.

"Well aren't you a pretty mess" Carter said to Amelia with an easy smile as he looked her over. He gently touched the thumb of her broken hand making her hiss in pain. "Sorry I had to check. If it was numb we'd have big problems" Carter told her.

"What's happening? Is Alicia ok?" Amelia rasped as her throat felt swollen and sore. She rested her head on Lucas's shoulder. The room was filling with more soldiers and she moved her face towards Lucas's chest not wanting them to see her. Lucas pulled her in tighter. She felt relief and safety in his hold and didn't want him to let go.

Carter looked over his shoulder and saw Taylor was ordering the soldiers to pack up the gear in the camp and to transport Alicia to the ground.

"Yeah, she's fine and the rest is a long story" Carter said as he opened the med kit and pulled out a syringe and filled it with a dose of pain meds. "Right now, the sixers have surrendered and I have no clue about the phoenix soldiers but we are packing up and going back to the colony-"

"I don't want them to touch me" Amelia said in a small voice cutting Carter off as she saw the soldiers lifting Alicia off the ground and taking her away. She didn't know them and she wasn't ready to be handed over to a bunch of strangers even if they were the 'good' guys. She trusted Lucas and didn't want to leave the cocoon of his arms as she trembled.

"Don't worry about them" Carter said as he injected her.

"Hey wha-oh wow" Amelia said as a pleasant rush ran through her. She tried to keep her eyes open but her body beckoned her to sleep.

Lucas and Carter watched as Amelia's eyes drooped and then closed. Lucas carefully laid her flat on the floor and helped Carter place a splint on her hand and wrist. They cleaned up her face and used steri-strip to close the wound on her cheek and they didn't have any dermaspray.

"She should stay out of it for the trip back to the Colony" Carter said loud enough for Taylor to hear.

"If you two will move" Taylor said as there were two soldiers waiting behind him ready to take Amelia to the ground. Lucas shook his head not looking at his father.

"No, she doesn't want your men touching her. I'll take her. We are all going the same place right?" Lucas drawled as he lifted Amelia up into arms bridal style as he stood up.

* * *

Alicia laid in a stretcher in the back of one of the rhinos the soldiers had converted into a make shift transport for wounded. Apparently the only wounded or injured were her and Amelia as she watched Carter and Lucas load Amelia into the stretcher opposite her.

Her muscles ached and were stiff but she knew by the time they were back in the colony she would be able to walk. She planned on stepping out the back of the transport and walking to the infirmary and then home for the longest hot shower in history before opening a beer she was sure was still in her fridge and kicking it on her lounge. She knew Taylor would have kept her place intact for her like some shrine for at least a year.

She looked over at Amelia and watched Carter strap her in as the girl was unconscious. Jim Shannon came up to back entrance of the rhino and gave a smile at Alicia.

"Hey" Alicia said to him.

"Hey, I found the access key for the cuffs" He said as he held up a piece of string with a small skeleton key on it. He tossed it to Carter who used the key to remove the cuffs from Alicia and Amelia's neck. Alicia rubbed her neck enjoying the moment as she felt freed for the first time in a long time.

"Thank you" Alicia told him,

"I owed you" Jim said keeping his distance, he stepped back with Taylor appeared at the rear.

"Lucas, you're riding with me. Come on" Taylor ordered in a firm tone so it wouldn't be mistaken for an invitation he could refuse.

"I got this and Alicia will cover the slack when we are in the pokey. Won't you babe?" Carter said.

"I'm going to hurt you" Alicia told Carter. Lucas rolled his eyes at the two and then took a deep breath fortifying himself for a difficult few hours with his old man.

"Tell her I'm sorry" Lucas said to Alicia, she nodded not really understanding why or what he was apologising for but she would pass on the message. Lucas jumped out the back of the truck and Jim replaced his spot as he got into the back and closed the doors.

He double checked that Alicia and Amelia were all strapped in and Carter in his seat before he shouted they were good to go to the driver. He moved to kneel down beside Alicia's stretcher.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Alive" Alicia said.

"I'm sorry for everything Wash. I swear if we had known you were alive we would have come sooner" Jim said with sincerity.

"Apology accepted, do you want to debrief me now or later?" she asked, she didn't feel it was Jim's fault as he wasn't the person who made the final decisions. She knew Jim well enough to know if they had known she was alive he would have done everything in his power and break every rule to get her back. Even if it was all out of a sense of duty as she sacrificed herself to save his family and he felt he owed her.

"I think Taylor wants that job. He really missed you Wash. We all did" he said Alicia swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat as she wanted to cry. She had been dreaming of this for months and here she was saved and on her way back to the Colony but somehow it all felt empty.

"I missed you guys too" she said in a choked voice.

"I will however ask who the girl is but out of curiosity" Jim said.

"Her name is Amelia Jones" Alicia said glad for the change of topic as she didn't want to cry in front of Jim or anyone from the colony.

* * *

"How did she get here?" Taylor asked over the roar of the engine as the rhino carved a trail through the night jungle. Taylor wanted to get Alicia back to the colony and checked over along with the injured young woman they had adopted.

"I was performing a dry run of opening a portal. I knew if the calculations were off in the slightest it would collapse the fracture. So I used a fracture to a different time, there was an unfortunate accident-"

"The calculations were off? Is she stuck here?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, the fracture to her time has completely collapsed. I can't send her back even if I wanted to. Point being was that she came through and crashed her car into one of our rovers. The fracture she came through collapsed and the power surge from the collapse destroyed the terminus. She's been in my care ever since" Lucas said.

"Your care" Taylor said as if Lucas was speaking a foriegn language.

"Yes, she has a brilliant mind. So I have taken upon myself to foster her potential and it has paid off as she has been helping me with my work" Lucas said as his father would never understand his attachment to Amelia. Lucas didn't understand it himself but right now he wished he were in the rhino with her than talking with his father.

"So you were nowhere close to reopening a portal?" Guzman asked speaking out of turn.

"I'd say at least two months away but the Terminus is fried who knows how long it would take to repair that out in the jungle with the meagre supplies we had" Lucas said with a shrug, Guzman and Taylor both looked relieved but also irked which made Lucas purse his lips so he wouldn't smile at the way Carter obviously played his father into action under the guise that the threat of the future was more immediate than it really was.

"Right, are the messages from the future real or are they fabricated?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, they are real I have received a couple of data bursts from the future it's logged on one of the plexs I assume your people have collected. Feel free to peruse at your own leisure." Lucas told him.

"How about you tell me now" Taylor said not impressed with Lucas's smart ass behaviour.

"Ok but I want a deal" Lucas said.

"You're in no position to strike a deal" Taylor told his son.

"I'm the only one who can finish the calculations while Dr Wallace repairs the Terminus" Lucas said.

"What do you want?" Taylor asked.

"No brig. I want to be on house arrest, put a tracker bracelet on me or a cuff whatever makes you feel safe. I also want to know how Amelia's recovery goes and in exchange I'll be a well behaved puppet" Lucas said, he didn't aim high with expectation he just didn't want to be in the brig for the rest of his days and not know what was happening with Amelia he just wanted to know she was going to be ok and live some semblance of a happy life. She was a soft spot of his.

"I'll consider it, but for the time being you'll be put in the brig" Taylor said. He didn't think his son would reach the bargaining stage so quickly. Nor did he expect sentimentality of knowing about a girl's recovery to be on the list of demands. He was now wondering exactly what kind of attachment the two had.

* * *

"She's my responsibility, I will make any decisions that need to be made in regards to her treatment that will affect her health and future. You will not take blood samples or tissue samples of her body and if you do? I promise I'll take my own samples of your body" Alicia warned Dr Canzales.

"How Amazonian of you but you are not her legal guardian which would make her a ward of the colony but then she isn't a colonist or recognised civilian by our systems. She is a non entity which means you have no rights to claim to and even if you could claim them you'd need Commander Taylor approval to reinstate your rank and status not to mention have him acknowledge the girl. You're a dead woman and she doesn't exist which makes you both the same. No power and at mercy of the system, your threats are worthless" Dr Canzales informed her.

"Then I guess I can't be charged with assaulting someone as I don't exist. Wow, I always wanted a free pass to kick your ass" Alicia said darkly as she took a step towards the doctor who paled at how she twisted his logic to suit her needs.

"Hey Doc, I got a bleeder here who needs a stitch up" Boylan said as he came into the infirmary holding a pale looking Josh up and waving a glass of ice beckoning Canzales. The young man had a bloodied dish cloth around his right hand.

"We'll pick this up later" Alicia said to Canzales as she folded her arms standing guard at Amelia's bed. The Doctor rolled his eyes and went over to where Boylan had laid Josh on a bio-bed.

"What happened?" Canzales asked as he adjusted his white coat to shake off the fear Alicia had instilled in him.

"Boy here wasn't paying attention while cutting up some fruit and took off his finger tip instead of making garnishes. I assured him you could attach it back on with no problems" Boylan explained in his usual jovial manner as he passed the ice glass which obviously had the finger tip in it to a nurse.

"Excellent" Canzales said unimpressed with the story. "Nurse Ogawa, call Dr Shannon and get her in come on shift early today"

"It's her day off" Ogawa said.

"Not anymore, now go and you Mr Boylan you know where the waiting room is if you wish to stay" Canzales said in an annoyed manned to the Australia. Boylan raised his hands in surrender as he backed away.

"Right, I think I'll go and annoy the dead woman and the mystery girl" Boylan said as he gestured towards Alicia and Amelia.

"Hello love" Boylan said with a warm smile and arms wide in mocking hope she'd hug him. The two never hugged unless very drunk or Boylan was feeling brave usually the two went hand in hand. Unlike Taylor who hated Boylan's guts. Alicia liked him for most part. He had a jovial attitude towards life, always cracking a joke the only thing that rankled her was that he never did anything without some sort of compensation for his services.

"Boylan" Alicia said in greeting.

"Where's my hug?" he asked.

"Dead women don't hug" she said folding her arms. Boylan pretended to look disappointed for a moment before dropping his arms and moving on with the conversation.

"How are you besides alive and kicking and who's the new Shelia?" Boylan asked gesturing to Amelia.

"Her name is Amelia" Alicia told him.

"I was close, off by a few letters. She looks a little too old to be your kid though" he said and Alicia rolled her eyes at him "What's the deal?"

"You looking for a date? Because she is too young for you" Alicia told him. Boylan laughed at her cautioning tone.

"Tell me about it. I like my ladies with a laughter lines and at least 3 decades under their belt. Hey what are you doing saturday night?" Boylan asked as a joke.

"Not you" Alicia told him with a laugh and shake of her head.

"So what's got you tied up in the infirmary?" he asked.

"It's a long story I have no desire to talk about. If Canzales wasn't such an asshole I'd go home but I'm afraid he's going to dissect her to pieces. What?" Alicia asked as she noticed Boylan making a face when she said 'home'.

"Your house is no longer yours. It was given away" he told her.

"Excuse me?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah two months after your funeral your gear was either stowed or redistributed in the colony. I thought you knew" Boylan said slowly as he realised he had just dropped a bomb on Alicia.

"Are you for real?" Alicia asked him.

"The Carver couple took it over they had triplets last month" Boylan said silently cursing Taylor for not telling Alicia all this as Boylan hated being the bearer of bad news especially now.

"Good for them" Alicia said in a mocking tone. Bad for her as she couldn't kick a family of five to the curb to get her house back. She was homeless and her furniture and gear all redistributed as she knew they wouldn't keep much stowed away as it was a waste of storage. It stung that it only took them two months to move on. She wondered if it was incredibly selfish to expect them to grieve a little longer 8 weeks.

"Homecoming not how you dreamed it?" he asked noting her obvious annoyance and disappointment.

"Nothing like it" Alicia said as she saw no point in pretending she was happy. Boylan felt the woman, she had been a prisoner and finally she was home. There was no fanfare or parade welcoming her back. She had no place or any of possessions, her commanding officer was too wrapped up in dealing with the influx of Sixer prisoners and his son to even spare an hour to talk with his old second in command.

In fact no one knew Alicia was back as they returned early in the morning. The only reason Boylan knew was because he had been doing stock take all night and heard the rhinos coming in and went outside for a smoke and to check it out. Not many people in the colony were up around 5am so their arrival was missed.

"Give it a day for news to get round. I have to say it's a bit of shock to see you" He admitted.

"Yeah, it must be horrible for you all considering it took you all about five minutes to move on and I was the idiot waiting." Alicia said with a sigh before Boylan could respond she spoke up first. "Look I just want Dr Shannon here to treat Amelia. Could you please get her for me?" Alicia asked as she rubbed a hand over her face.

"Sure thing" Boylan said he turned around and Elisabeth walked into the infirmary as though it was on command. "Done, am I good or what?" Boylan asked as he gestured like a showroom salesman to Elisabeth who stopped by her son's bed for a moment before turning in Alicia's direction. Alicia gave a laugh at Boylan who turned to her.

"If you need anything you let me know. Won't cost you a thing" he told her.

"So generous" Alicia said dryly.

"And wise" he drawled mockingly.

"Go away" Alicia told him shaking her head. Boylan gave a mock salute and left her going out a side entrance before Elisabeth could berate him on her son being injured while on the job.

"Wash, you're alive" Elisabeth said shocked to see her.

"I am, but I'm fine I have been cleared by Canzales but he won't tell me what is going on with Amelia and her plex is locked" Alicia said her concern for Amelia was evident to Elisabeth who nodded.

"Yes Canzales doesn't appreciate his patients being taken from him but he is a predictable man and I know his password. So let's see what we have here" Elisabeth said as she picked up the plex at the end of the bed and unlocked the plex. Alicia moved to look over her shoulder.

"She has 5 fractured ribs, a concussion along with bruising and minor cuts and scrapes. The cuts and scrapes had been healed with Dermaspray. Her right hand is a mess but he hasn't done anything but administer pain medication and sedatives." Elisabeth said with a frown.

"What about her hand? She's an artist, if she can't do her work she'll be crushed." Alicia said she said it because she knew it was important that the doctors did everything they could to repair her hand. Any loss of manual dexterity would be devastating to Amelia.

From Canzales' notes Amelia's right hand was a mess of smashed or fractured bones, there wasn't one finger without some form of trauma. The worst of the damage was focused on her thumb, index and middle finger bones and knuckles.

"Such treatment of a prisoner. I know Lucas could be cruel but this is a whole new level for him" Elisabeth remarks.

"This was Hooper's treatment. He punished her for stupid things and Lucas protected her but even he couldn't be with her 24/7." Alicia said correcting Elisabeth's assumptions.

"How old is she?" Elisabeth asked knowing better than to argue Alicia's statement.

"17 going on 18 in two months, will it make a difference in her treatment?" Alicia asked, while she had a medical degree from over ten years ago she was a medic and had been a meatball and spaghetti surgeon for too many years. She was all about keeping them alive and stabilising them until evac choppers took them away as she never had the supplies or equipment to perform major surgeries. If she wanted to she could be a doctor if she wanted to but it never appealed to her as she always wanted to be a soldier on the front line serving her country.

"Definitely because it means Canzales assumption's are incorrect and his treatment course can be improved" Elisabeth said as she logged in the new information.

"What assumptions?"

"Here in the side note he approximated her age to be 14 due to her body habitus, race and gender among other factors he would assume her bones are still in a state of growth. Thus the drug and see approach" Elisabeth said in a disapproving manner which translated that he was purposefully keeping Amelia knocked out so he could see how the bones would mend themselves before investigating other options of treatment.

"So what would you suggest?"

"I'd suggest all the bones and joints in her thumb, index and second fingers right down to the carpal bones. I also would recommend replacing the MCP finger joints in the other fingers at the same time as they are a mess and I don't see them repairing properly. If anything we'd probably have to replace the joints in the future" Elisabeth said.

"What kind of functionality level would her hand have if we didn't do the surgery?"

"No more than 40% recovery of manual dexterity due to the joints fusing and nerve damage. She may be able to hold a cup but manual dexterity like writing would be incredibly difficult even impossible. With my suggestion I'd say at 70% regain of functionality. At least, I've performed such procedures on motorcycle crash victims before. Jim has three prosthetic bones in his hand and MCP joint replacements in his left hand from when he crashed. It was how we met" Elisabeth said with a smile.

"How romantic" Alicia said dryly though she smiled so Elisabeth knew she was being funny.

"Oh yes, he was such a flirt even with broken bones and third degree burns" Elisabeth said before she went back to being serious. "I'll have to confer with Dr Canzales before we proceed"

"I will talk with Taylor about being reinstated as being alive and be appointed her guardian so I can make the decisions she isn't able to" Alicia said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Taylor this is insane, Lucas looked you in the face as he stabbed you and you want to have him under house arrest in your house? What are you going to do? lock up your cutlery draw and welcome him home?" Jim asked as he sat opposite Taylor who was behind his desk looking at a plex as they sat in the Command Centre.

"We don't have the housing to give him his own place. Also after a couple days with me he'll be begging to be put back in the brig. This is about satisfying both parties and I can take care of myself since I know he's dangerous. Who would you suggest take him in?" Taylor asked as he looked over the manifest of equipment and people they had acquired from taking over the Sixer settlement. They were going to spend the afternoon debriefing their prisoners but were doing their prep work.

"Well at least we know he isn't lying about the girl" Malcolm said from the doorway. Jim and Taylor turned to Malcolm who came into the room "I was looking over the inventory and the textbooks, the camera and even the communications device are well over 100 years old by our standards. The textbooks were published in 2011. Books haven't been published in paper form for well over 100 years again... the common theme of evidence. I tried to find her in the database but there is only a lofty amount of information from that time. The early days of the information age had many data storage issues and most of the information is heavily degraded. She does exist there are birth records and death records as she was presumed dead but that's it. I made a copy of what I found and sent it to your plex" Malcolm said as he settled into the second guest chair opposite Jim.

"So she's from the 21st Century. Just to clarify" Jim said as Taylor opened up the file Malcolm sent him.

"Yes, from what we have I can confirm she is but Canzales would like to run more tests and study her for research purposes. If she is from 21st century we could learn a lot about human evolution by comparing her DNA, blood, bone density to our records of someone in Terra Nova who is relatively the same age and height. Which Dr Canzales would like permission to do" Malcolm said casually.

"She's just a kid" Jim said disapprovingly as he looked at Malcolm who didn't seem to see or care about the ethical issues with talking about a person like they were an research subject.

"I haven't approved it" Malcolm said.

"Yet" Jim said saying the word Malcolm had left off. Taylor of course was listening but hadn't put in his two cents as he listened to the two men argue it out.

"This is a scientific discovery" Malcolm stated.

"She wasn't found here like a dinosaur, she was pulled here by accident. She was a prisoner and beaten to an inch of her life. She deserves to be welcomed into the colony and given her life back not put in a petridish just because Dr Canzales wants to make assumptions about the 'evolution' of humans in the space of a century. Don't you eggheads have enough to study out in that large jungle before studying some poor kid" Jim said.

Malcolm looked ready to blow at Jim calling him an 'egghead' but before he could utter a word Alicia spoke from behind them.

"She's not a kid. Amelia is a young woman who will be 18 years old in two months, a legal adult" Alicia said Taylor, Jim and Malcolm looked at her as she stood at the doorway. Inwardly she was fuming at their conversation but glad Jim was advocating for Amelia not the a guinea pig.

"Does nobody knock anymore?" Taylor asked as he waved Alicia into the room.

"I was about to if that helps" Alicia said, their relationship was incredibly strained and he noticed her not addressing properly but since she was currently in hospital scrubs with her hair loose she didn't feel like a soldier. There was also the fact that Alicia couldn't bring herself to be respectful for a man who never came for her when he promised. He promised never to leave a soldier behind even if they were a corpse yet he had left her. It wasn't something easily forgotten.

"Should you be up and about?" Jim asked.

"I've recovered and Canzales released me an hour ago" Alicia said as she stood between the two guest chairs. Jim offered her his seat but she shook her head.

"What can I do for you Lieutenant?" Taylor asked stressing her title as her months in the jungle had made her forget military knew they would have to sit down in private and talk but he decided he save her until he go through all the others first. He wanted the whole picture of what she had endured before asking her as he knew she would downplay her experience.

"Commander, I'd like to have my status as presumed dead reversed and granted temporary guardianship of Amelia Jones. The girl Malcolm and his colleagues have no problem carving up for scientific purposes" Alicia said dryly as she folded her arms across her chest as she was firm in her decision she was going to protect Amelia at all costs.

"Whoa no I didn't agree with carving her up but I do think a pint of blood and a few tissue samples aren't too much to ask for. It's nothing she can't survive without and it would be interesting to see the differences in our physiology in comparison to hers" Malcolm said sitting forward in his chair explaining himself. Taylor donned his contemplative expression for a moment weighing up his thoughts before he spoke.

"Wash, I'll reverse your status and grant you temporary guardianship of the girl and I hear she needs surgery on her hand. I'm sure there will be bone fragments and blood wastage. It should be enough for Dr Canzales' research." Taylor said while he didn't agree with the research he also knew Canzales would be bold enough to do so without permission at least this way he would be held accountable.

"You can't-" Alicia started only for Taylor to cut her off.

"I can. Dr Wallace make sure Canzales understands any further samples taken from the girl's personage would not be wise. Also make Dr Elisabeth her primary physician, the girl needs someone who has a decent bedside manner" Taylor said Malcolm looked to Alicia who nodded her approval but she also made a mental note that Amelia would need to be vaccinated against Sincyllic fever as soon as possible so it would spoil her as a test subject for Canzales but also protect her from getting sick.

"Of course, I should go now so the OR is prepped and Canzales is aware of his limitations" Malcolm said leaving the room. Alicia took his seat and looked to Taylor who had moved to lean on his elbows.

"Now Wash, I want you to write a report on the last few months have it sent to my plex and after that we'll debrief and talk about reinstating you to your rank and post" Taylor said.

"It's going to take me a while to write that report" Alicia said in a serious tone. She had to think about what she wanted as she wasn't sure she could just toss her uniform on and pretend the last months of being a prisoner hadn't affected her.

"You have a month" he told her.

"Ok, I was wondering about housing. I know you gave my house away and kept some of my personal belongings while the rest was redistributed. Boylan told me" Alicia said noting the surprise in Taylor's expression and the guilt.

"So you understand, we are in a current housing shortage so it will be at least 6 months before you get housing allocated to you as I have families waiting for their own place" Taylor said diplomatically.

"Civilians always come first" Alicia said calmly.

"Yes, I will of course try and get you moved up the list but you'll be in the barracks until then" Taylor said.

"Or you can crash at Casa Del Shannon" Jim offered.

"I'll keep that in mind but for now the Barracks will be fine. I will however need new ID cards for myself and Amelia. I'm also going to need my personal belongings back and access to my accrued sick pay" Alicia said.

"Your financials have been recycled" Taylor said translation she was not only homeless but broke. "I'll front you some money until we get everything sorted" he added.

"Forget it, I refuse to be in debt to anyone. Just the ID's and my stuff will do until you all sort out the rest. It's the least you can do" Alicia saidas calmly as she could but inwardly she was nearly seeing red she was so angry at him and his cool demeanour. she had always thought he was sentimental but he had managed to scraped whatever remained of her in the colony away like she were dirt on his shoes as he couldn't even muster some sort of compensation or a place to stay. No, he could apparently only give her a few terras and a cot in the barracks, it was so nice to see where she ranked in Taylor's life.

Taylor pulled off his ID card and held it out to Alicia "You know where we stow the gear of deceased, help yourself to what's yours and stop by storage depot for a new uniform and boots by the time you come back we'll have the ID's ready for you" Taylor said. Alicia took the card from him and left the office.

* * *

"I assumed my party trick of coming back from the dead has earned me a couple of free drinks" Alicia said as she dropped a duffel bag on the floor by a stool and took a seat at the bar two hours later.

She was wearing new BDU pants, boots and a black t-shirt that she took from storage depot. She had three changes of clothing and boots. She even helped herself to extra clothing but in Amelia's size so the girl had a couple more tank tops, t-shirts and two pairs of boots Amelia so desperately needed. Normally she would never be so greedy but today she felt like she was owed something as she was pissed off. No she was more than pissed off but couldn't find the words to decribe the level of anger she was at.

She had opened her box of personal belonging in the storage depotand only found her father's pocket watch and hard copy of 'Alice in Wonderland' that had been in their family for generations that her grandfather used to read to her all the time. He was passionate about books in print and she always loved listening to him read as he was a great story teller. His favourite besides 'Alice in Wonderland' was 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind' which she also carried all 7 volumes of as they had sentimental value to her but the volumes were missing.

She had hoped her leather jacket and other trinkets she had picked up over the years would be in the box like her collection of knives but apparently they went up for grabs a long with her books. She wondered why 'Alice in Wonderland' was so unpopular that it wasn't passed around but grateful it wasn't gone.

"At least 5 drinks of the good stuff" Boylan said as he placed a glass on the table and poured out two fingers of his strongest and finest liquor.

"Thank you" Alicia said as she downed the drink in one go, She gave a sigh as the hard liquor scorched a pleasant path down her throat to her stomach. Boylan poured out the same again but this time she sipped to savour the flavour.

"You look like you need it" Boylan commented as he kept the bottle on the bench.

"I do, I have no money or house and I have to stay in the barracks until I am allocated new housing which could take at least 6 months. Did I mention I have none of my possessions or personal property except for my father's pocket watch and my grandfather's copy of 'Alice in Wonderland'. The rest was redistributed, recycled or just gone like I was never here. It's so great to be home" Alicia said dryly as she sipped her drink. The alcohol was not helping her already dark mood.

"Well this might put a smile on your face" Boylan said as he lifted a box from the behind the bar. He placed it in front of her and lifted the lid and gestured for her to look. Alicia's eyes went wide and she smiled as she pulled out her favourite leather jacket. She looked in the box to find more of her personal items mainly her clothing. It had her vests, tops, jackets and her casual jeans and three of the 7 missing volumes of Nausicaä. The other 5 volumes were still out there along with her jewellery and other trinkets that held sentimental value were still missing. But it was a start.

"Now it's not much but it's all I could scrounge since I saw you in the infirmary this morning. I'm sure once word gets out your stuff will mysteriously make its way back to you" he said ominously Alicia gave a sardonic laugh.

"Thank you Boylan" she said earnestly as it was the good thing to happen to her since coming back. Boylan looked at her with pity as he topped up her glass and poured himself a shot. He figured Taylor would have moved heaven and Earth to make Alicia happy but so far the Commander was doing the opposite because he didn't want to show 'favouritism'. It wasn't right and if Taylor wasn't step up Boylan was definitely going to beat him to it as slow smile spread across his lips. He leaned on the bar and looked at Alicia.

"Hey why don't you and Amelia move in with me?" Boylan offered Alicia looked at him sceptically as she pulled on her leather jacket and pulled her hair out of the collar. If she could tie her hair up in a pony tail then she'd start to feel like her old self again.

"Ok who are and what have you done with the real Boylan?" She asked mockingly. Boylan laughed.

"What I can't be generous? I barely use my house except to sleep and it's got two bedrooms that aren't doing anything. You should use them, that girl could probably use a place to crash that is far more private than the infirmary to recover in" Boylan said as if he genuinely cared for her and Amelia but Alicia wasn't fooled.

"What's in it for you?" Alicia asked suspiciously but inwardly shocked she was considering his offer. She really didn't want to live in the barracks with 50 other people, she wanted walls and a door with a room to herself. But she also wanted Amelia to have the same as her. Amelia was going to be a novelty to the colony and with it came unwanted attention. Something Alicia knew would make Amelia incredibly uncomfortable.

"Well besides the pleasure of knowing it will get right up Taylor's nose that he didn't offer his place first? And the sensation it will create in the Colony knowing I have two of the most popular ladies living under my roof. Nothing really" Boylan said with a mocking shrug. Alicia chuckled as she took a sip of her drink.

"Do you just so everything with the thoughts of how to stick it to Taylor?" Alicia asked.

"Yes. That and profit. I am a man of simple pleasures. Anyway think about how tightly wound he'll be when he hears you're crashing at my place. It'll be fun to watch, oh please let me be there when you tell him." Boylan begged like a boy.

"You're acting like it's christmas" Alicia drawled darkly Boylan laughed.

"It's just a bit of fun. Anyway, we go way back and I still owe you for looking the other way when I used to run my little side dealings back in my old army days." Boylan explained.

"Well they didn't take you away from your duties and I was well compensated for my silence. A bottle of top shelf tequila every three months and I never ran out of meds in the shortages. I wasn't going to turn you in" Alicia said with a reminiscent smile as those days seemed far more appealing and uncomplicated than her life was now.

"And don't forget I never gave away anything we needed" Boylan added. It was true, he walked a fine line between being good and doing wrong things.

"You know what, I will take your offer. When can we move in?" Alicia asked she had a feeling she was going to regret it but for now she was going to enjoy the offer while it lasted.

"Right away, if you want. I never gave back the beds they put in there. So all you need are some sheets and you're good to go." Boylan said.

"Thanks, it's just me for now as Amelia is still in the infirmary but I know she'll appreciate it too when I tell her" Alicia said.

"Don't mention it and if you do then say I'm gauging you on rent. Don't want anyone to think I'm going soft" he said with trademark Boylan smile. He leaned forward on the bar "Now come close so I can whisper sweet nothings and my house code in your ear" he said with a teasing smile. Alicia rolled her eyes as she indulged him as she knew all his flirtations were empty.

* * *

Amelia stirred awake, her head was swimming from the drugs as she had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the last couple of hours but only now did she open her eyes. She looked up at the ceiling of the room and then around the room as the people milling around doing their work or so she assumed as they were looking at plexs and wearing white jackets and hospital scrubs before her vision was blocked by Alicia.

"Hey Sleepyhead" Alicia said with a friendly smile.

"Hey" Amelia rasped as she tried to sit up but was met with pain, she laid back down and groaned.

"You in any pain?" Alicia asked. Amelia nodded as everything hurt as the first pain trigger her mind into noticing the others she had. "Where?" Alicia asked.

"All over. What happened? How long was I out? Where are Lucas and Carter? Are they ok?" Amelia asked as she couldn't see them anywhere.

"You've been out for about three days. The rest is a long story that I will tell you when you're more rested but sufficed to say Carter and Lucas are in the brig but otherwise they are fine" Alicia said as she got up from her chair and helped Amelia with rising the back of the bed so Amelia was sitting up in bed but still lying back comfortably as one could with broken ribs.

"You are in pretty good shape considering the beating you got" Alicia told her.

"I don't feel in good shape, what's going to happen now?" Amelia asked.

"I will get Dr Shannon to check you over and talk to you about your current condition and what will happen in regards to your hand. At some point Commander Taylor will want to debrief you in the next couple of day after that you'll be free to do what you want" Alicia said.

"I don't know what I want and where would I live?" Amelia asked as she didn't understand why she had to make so many decisions when she didn't know what's going on.

"Whoa, relax depending on what the doc says if she will allow it you can come home with me and I'll keep you out of trouble. I lost my house but a friend of mine has offered to put us up until I get a new place. It's quiet and we'll get our own space. Otherwise I'd say milk the infirmary stay for it's worth as it's better than sleeping in the barracks with 50 odd people" Alicia said with a smile. Amelia relaxed at the knowledge that she wasn't going to be kicked out and that she had somewhere to stay. It took a load off her mind as there were so many questions running through her mind.

"I'd like to leave, sooner the better" Amelia said as she could see people looking at her. Usually it wouldn't irk her but right now she couldn't handle it. Nor could she handle all the noise and chatter she felt paranoid like an animal at the zoo. Tears started to brim in her eyes and Alicia gently rubbed Amelia's arm in a comforting gesture.

"Ok, I'm going to go get Doc Shannon so we can get you some of the good stuff" Alicia said with warm smile before she left Amelia walking over to a woman with dark hair and skin standing by what looked like a lab table with a holographic screen above it. Amelia watched as Alicia spoke with the woman and they both looked at her. She felt her stomach turn as she was afraid of what the doctor would say about her hand. It was currently strapped in a brace and throbbing painfully.

"Hello I'm Doctor Elisabeth Shannon" Elisabeth said with a warm smile as she came up to the bed.

"Hi" Amelia said looking up at the woman.

"I'm going to run a couple of scans and then we'll dose you with some mild analgesics for the pain. Sound good?" Elisabeth asked her.

"Yeah" Amelia said as she hoped the scans were quick. Luckily it took a matter of seconds and then Elisabeth checked her pupils and her hand that was currently in a brace making sure Amelia could feel it. She hissed in pain as Elisabeth gently touched the tip of each finger and her thumb on her right hand.

"Ok, all looking good, I'm going to give you something for the pain and then we'll talk about your injuries" Elisabeth said. Amelia remained silent as Elisabeth gave her a long winded explanation of what happened to her hand and how Elisabeth and another doctor had to replace several bones and all the MCP joints in her hand. The recovery process but Amelia zoned out as she looked down at her hand, it felt like a foriegn part of her body.

"Worst case scenario you'll only recover 70% of your previous manual dexterity. But those odds are better than if we had left your had to heal without medical intervention" Elisabeth said, she looked to Alicia who was equally concerned by Amelia's vague expression. It was like she was on another planet.

"Amelia, you ok?" Alicia asked as she touched Amelia's arm to get the girl's attention.

"No, I feel fuzzy" Amelia said as she gently rubbed her left hand over her face.

"It's probably the medication" Elisabeth said to Alicia, she hadn't accounted to Amelia possibly having a sensitivity to the strength of the analegisics.

"But you understand what Doc Shannon said?" Alicia asked Amelia gently. Amelia repeated what Elisabeth said verbatim much to Alicia and Elisabeth's surprise.

"-So I could recover full functionality of the hand within 6 months. Did I miss anything?" Amelia asked looking at them, she drew her knees up as she tried to make herself smaller as she felt subconcious from the people looking at her.

"No, you said it all" Elisabeth said.

"Then can I go?" Amelia asked.

"Leave to where?" Elisabeth asked looking to Alicia for answers while Amelia looked out at the room.

"Boylan has offered to put us up. Walls and doors, they are a luxury and now a necessity apparently" Alicia said as she followed Amelia's eyes as the girl was watching the people in the infirmary who were darting looks their way. Alicia could handle the stares but she knew Amelia was in a fragile state. The girl lived a sheltered life and now she was dealing with the physical and emotional trauma. Something that was easier done in private than with people watching you.

"Well I'd like to keep you for another 48 hours and if all is well then I see no problem in releasing you as long as you stay off your feet" Elisabeth said to Amelia.

"I'll look after her" Alicia stated.

"Commander Taylor hasn't got you back on active duty?" Elisabeth asked surprised.

"He hasn't ordered me and I haven't asked. Even if he did I'm not sure I'd take back my old job" Alicia confessed. She had lost her faith and respect in Taylor and until she got them back she couldn't in good conscious work for him. As she wouldn't give him her best. "Anyway someone has to keep this girl out of trouble" Alicia said teasingly as she nudged Amelia's arm.

"I'm not that bad" Amelia said with a frown as she took the comment to heart hearing the words but not Alicia's tone.

"I'm joking" Alicia assured her. "Hey I spoke with Dr Wallace who is the head of the science department and he has coughed up all of your possessions. They are in your room at Boylan's" Alicia told her.

"I get my own room?" Amelia asked surprised.

"Yeah and Boylan was nosy when I brought your stuff home and I think he's going to ask if he can hang some of your photos" Alicia said carefully as she wasn't sure how Amelia would react to hearing about her art.

"Really?" Amelia asked still distracted by people staring at her.

"Yeah, he loved them" Alicia said with a smile. It was true, Boylan didn't claim to have an appreciation for art but he did love the photos.

"He can have them. What use are they to me?" Amelia asked as she looked down at her broken hand. She felt an incredible wave of homesickness roll over her.

"Talk to me Amelia, you're coming off vague. What's wrong?" Alicia asked in a soft voice.

"I want to go home, I miss my family" Amelia said tears rolling down her face as the words felt more true than ever before. She wanted her boring sheltered life back where she wasn't injured and people didn't notice her. Alicia gave an empathetic smile as she moved to sit on the bed Amelia leaned forward as Alicia embraced her.

"I know you do" Alicia said as she gently rubbed Amelia's back in a soothing manner while Amelia cried.

* * *

Lucas paced the brig, 4 days he'd been in the hole in the ground that passed for a cell and all he could think about was Amelia. It was an odd feeling to have his thoughts occupied by something other than Calculations for the portal and his quest to make his father suffer or what happened to his mother and her death. It kept playing in his head over and over but not now. It had been years if ever he had been obsessed with anything else let alone a woman. The memories of his mother's death were replaced by memories of Amelia's frail form in his arms sobbing her heart out from the agony of her injuries and the fear of having nearly died.

He was worried about her, he thought of how traumatised she had to be. He wondered how bad her injuries were, her hand in particular. He knew she was being looked after and given the best medical treatment but he needed to see her or hear someone tell him Amelia was ok. But no one had, in fact no one had visited him in the last 96 hours except for the guard to bring him three meals a day. He wondered if this was going to be his punishment to forever be left in Isolation. He was sure he'd go crazy correction crazier as there was no denying he lack a certain amount of sanity.

So he paced to pass the time along with other forms of exercise trying to keep his thoughts at bay. He did find it amusing that he didn't miss his freedom but he did miss Amelia and their time in his bungalow. He missed her sarcasm, her smile and general innocence and honesty. He hoped she didn't lose them when Hooper took it upon himself to try and kill her.

The door to the brig opened and Lucas stopped in his tracks as Alicia walked into the brig. She was not dressed in her uniform with her hair pulled back into a ponytail or low bun which was her trademark 'on duty' look instead she was in casual jeans, a grey tank and a black leather jacket her hair hung loose around her shoulders.

"Lieutenant" Lucas said in a shocked greeting.

"Call me either Wash or Alicia. I haven't been reinstated" Alicia said.

"Yet" Lucas added.

"We'll see" Alicia commented as she moved to lean against one of the pillars in the room.

"Did my father send you down here?" Lucas asked as he wondered if Alicia was playing him or really no longer Commander Taylor's precious lapdog as Mira liked to refer to Alicia as.

"No, apparently coming back from the dead has its perks but it's not all it's cracked up to be" Alicia said with a sigh.

"How is Amelia?" Lucas asked her as he could no longer make small talk about inane things that didn't interest him. It's what he liked about Alicia. He didn't have to be polite with her as she could see right through him. He always wondered how but all she would say is that he had his father's eyes. It didn't make any sense to him but otherwise they knew where they stood with one another and it suited them.

"She's ok, I just left her for the night in the infirmary" Alicia said keeping a neutral expression but he knew she was either inwardly disapproval of his question or mildly amused. Alicia was Amelia's mama bear and as such Alicia would never allow Lucas and Amelia any chance of relationship. At least not in this lifetime.

"Her hand were they able to repair the damage? She was also saying she wanted to be a painter" Lucas said.

"You really care for her don't you?" Alicia asked revealing a small smile.

"Of course I do, she has a brilliant mind" Lucas said with his practised response but Alicia shook her head and her smile turned into a smirk.

"No, you care more about her than her brains and how she can help you finish the calculations" Alicia said hitting the bull's eye.

"You're reaching, she's an attractive woman with a high intellect nothing more" he said as he rolled his eyes.

"No I'm not. I'm just amazed anyone is able to get through those walls you have up. If she meant nothing you'd be asking about your calculations and when your father would be down here to talk with you. But no, you asked about her" Alicia said with a knowing smile.

"Have you finished your deducing for today?" Lucas asked as he was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, and to answer your question they repaired as much of the damage as best they could. Now only time and rehabilitation will tell if she will recover full functionality of her hand" Alicia told him.

"I wished I had killed Hooper myself" Lucas said.

"It was definitely a pleasure when I pulled the trigger on that asshole" Alicia remarked. A knock sounded at the door noting that Alicia's time was up. "Before I go is there anything you want me to tell Amelia?" Alicia asked him.

"I don't know" Lucas said with a shrug anything he wanted to say he'd prefer to say in person than pass through Alicia.

"I'll tell her you're thinking of her" Alicia said before leaving the brig and Lucas to his thoughts.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Hi, I'm Skye" A pretty girl with brunette hair in loose curls and the brightest of blue eyes said as she sat down in the chair bedside Amelia's bed. Alicia had gone home for the night as visiting hours were over. Amelia had been lying in bed trying to sleep but every time she closed her eyes she saw Hooper and him on top her. She felt his hands around her throat, she knew it wasn't real just memory but it felt real, real enough to disturb her sleep and occupy her thoughts. She took a slow and deep breath to calm the panic rising her.

"Amelia" Amelia said as she wondered why the girl was even sitting with her. She couldn't believe how in a few weeks of being in the other camp could make her paranoid about everyone around her and questioning herself as to what they wanted. Skye looked to be close to her age and possibly the same height though Amelia couldn't tell.

"I figured I'd come and introduce myself and offer some entertainment as you look wide awake and it gets kinda boring in here" Skye said as she pulled her white coat around her to get comfortable, Amelia figured she was one of the staff as it was the only reason she was here after visiting hours and felt it was ok to introduce herself.

"I heard that" Elisabeth said from her station a few feet away.

"As a patient it's kinda boring" Skye corrected as she gave an apologetic smile even though Elisabeth didn't look over their way.

"Thank you" Elisabeth said.

"Anyway I thought you could use some company" Skye said.

"I'm fine but thank you" Amelia said plainly, she'd rather be alone. Correction she'd rather Lucas, Carter or Alicia with her now as she knew them and how to converse with them. She also knew they had no alterative motives as they were up front and honest. Skye missed her subtle hint to go away.

"So" Skye drawled as she looked like she didn't know what to say. Amelia was no better but she figured she should make an effort.

"So everybody is talking about me?" Amelia asked.

"What? No...ok maybe a tiny bit. It's not everyday we get new people here" Skye said with a chuckle but Amelia knew she was lying as the girl's smile was a little to fake.

"Yeah I get that" Amelia said plastering on her own smile before she asked Skye about herself and the colony. Figuring she'd be safer engaging Skye in conversation that having them sit awkwardly. She found out Skye lived in a house with three other people her age, she worked full time and studied part time though she admitted her studies were seriously neglected but then she also felt she didn't need to learn anymore than she did.

Amelia tried to keep a friendly look on her face as she couldn't imagine not completing her studies. She didn't want to end up in a low wage position due to a lack of education if she could help it. Amelia's mother had explained that the economy made it impossible for anyone without a degree to pass the 40k salary bracket and with rising living expenses it was not much of a life as one would spend 80% of their life working just to make ends meet. Amelia wanted a comfortable life with balance for work and play considering her old life was 90% study and 10% life. If having a 'Life' constituted as watching a couple hours of TV then going to bed.

She felt like with the wealth of knowledge they had in the 22nd Century the people could be anything but apparently they never outgrew laziness. Luckily Amelia kept Skye talking with questions about life around the colony.

"So yeah everybody here they are super friendly and can't wait to meet you" Skye finished half an hour later.

"Because I'm a novelty" Amelia stated.

"No, because we've been separated from the future for months seeing you means there is hope that we aren't completely cut off from the future. When Taylor said we were all that was left to start humanity it was quite heavy and a lot people feel like this big weight of responsibility. So tell me about yourself and the future? How quickly did they rebuild Hope Plaza?" Skye asked in an excited tone.

"Hope Plaza?" Amelia asked as she had never heard of such a place.

"You know the big building in Chicago that you used to come through to here?" Skye asked in a patronising manner.

"I was in Australia" Amelia said not appreciating Skye's tone even if she was trying to be funny.

"Australia?" Skye asked confused. She lookedat Amelia like she had lost her marbles somewhere.

"Yeah, it's a southern continent" Amelia said patronising tone Skye had used with her a few moments ago.

"I know Australia but it has been a barren wasteland for over a century" Skye told her.

"What? It's not a barren wasteland" Amelia said shaking her head but Skye nodded.

"Yeah it is, China, Russia and US all bought up Australia in 2045 and divided the land then they stripped it of all its natural resources turning it into a heavily polluted and barren wasteland no one lives as its toxic. No human can survive there even with rebreathers, ask Boylan he always talking about how it used to be a beautiful place or so his Nan told him. He grew up in the States but man he sounds nothing like you and me" Skye said.

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked confused.

"He has the thickest Australian accent in town but he like the other Aussies spent most of their lives living in the small Australian communities that were relocated to the states when the air became too toxic. Though you don't sound very American yourself" Skye stated.

"I don't?" Amelia asked it wasn't like she hadn't heard the comment before but the way Skye said it annoyed Amelia as if being different was a bad thing.

"No, you sound… I don't know different like an amalgamation of many accents. It kind of has me guessing" Skye said with an amused smile. "Anyway if you didn't come through hope plaza how did you get here?" she asked.

"I don't know" Amelia said.

"You don't know" Skye asked sceptically.

"I remember waking up in the camp and being told I crashed my car and I was 85 million years in the past. I thought it was some kind of prank. Time Travel is still science fiction in 2012" Amelia said and it was true, Lucas had explained the science but she couldn't entirely wrap her head around it and at the time she was injured not a good combination for the memory.

"2012?" Skye asked as if she hadn't heard Amelia correctly.

"That's when I'm from" Amelia told her, Skye looked completely shocked by the knowledge.

"Wow" Skye said after a moment when the shock wore off.

"I thought you knew" Amelia said.

"No, no one knows" Skye said shaking her head.

"Oh" Amelia said as she wondered if she was actually allowed to tell anyone she was from 2012 as Skye's face fell slightly from the knowledge. "Look I was told it was a freak accident and it wouldn't happen again as the fracture collapsed but Lucas was working on reopening the portal to your time" She said,

"When is he not?" Skye scoffed in a dark manner.

"Did you know Lucas?" Amelia asked.

"Hard not to he's the son of Commander Taylor. He's completely psychotic" Skye said.

"No he's not" Amelia said sure Lucas was not exactly all there in the head but he was not psychotic. Hooper was psychotic.

"Yeah he is, look what he did to you" Skye said gesturing to Amelia and her injuries.

"He didn't do this to me. Is that what people think?" Amelia asked she didn't know why but it upset her greatly to have people think her injuries were from Lucas when they weren't. He was one of the reasons she had survived so long, he had protected her. He had comforted her.

"Yeah, we all know what he's like. You're safe here, you don't have to lie to cover for him. He can't hurt you" Skye said in a comforting manner but it was lost on Amelia who shook her head as her stomach rolled as the memories of Hooper flashed through her. She started breathing erratically as tears filled her eyes.

"I'm not lying, you're the one who's wrong. He didn't do this to me." Amelia said shaking her head adamantly. "He never would" Amelia said as she struggled to breathe but she could see Skye didn't believe her and Amelia didn't want to tell Skye anything as it would mean she would have to admit she had killed a man and then talk about Hooper when she didn't want to remember. She didn't want to remember the feral look as he choked her or the pain. She began to tremble badly as the tears fell down her face as she shook her head as she gulped for air.

"Dr Shannon!" Skye called out.

"What's happened?" Elisabeth asked Skye as she looked at Amelia and checked the Vitals monitor before focussing her complete attention on Amelia, who was having meltdown.

"We were talking and she started freaking out" Skye said as Amelia covered her face with her left hand and shook her head as she drew her knees up instinctually making herself smaller.

"Ok, thank you Skye. You should leave and close the curtain on your way" Elisabeth said gently to Skye, the girl did as she was told while Elisabeth sat on the bed "Amelia? Amelia?" Elisabeth said but Amelia shook her head as if it could shake the memories out of her head. She placed her hands on Amelia's shoulders as she spoke calmly. "It's ok, it's ok, just take slow and easy breaths"

"No it's not. Everybody keeps staring at me. I just want to be alone, can't I just go?" Amelia asked between slow measured breathes as she wiped the tears from her face.

"Amelia, you need medical supervision." Elisabeth said as she closed her eyes wishing she had told Skye not to talk about Lucas or Amelia's time with the Phoenix soldiers. She assumed Skye would keep the conversation superficial but as she opened her eyes and looked around. She noted the people looking at them through the curtain she realised Amelia needed privacy. They were like vultures for any piece of news and Amelia like was fresh carrion.

"Don't you all have work to do?" Elisabeth asked in a snide tone to the staff she could see looking at their direction. The curtains didn't give any real privacy it was just the illusion of it as you could see who was in the beds and hear any conversation. The staff busied themselves before she looked down at Amelia. The girl had calmed down and the tears slowed but she was still in clear distress and trembling frightfully. "I'm going to get you an extra blanket ok? I'll be right back" Elisabeth said Amelia numbly nodded.

* * *

"You should all be ashamed of your conduct. She is a patient like every other person on a biobed in this room. She deserves the respect and privacy the others are provided." Elisabeth said to her staff in a low voice as Alicia came into the Infirmary. She had spent the last 15 minutes dressing them down making sure they all knew and felt her disappointment.

"Dr Shannon?" Alicia asked. Elisabeth dismissed her staff and turned to Alicia.

"Wash, I'm glad you're here" She said.

"Is everything ok?" Alicia asked she had only left Amelia an hour ago.

"No, my staff are unable to maintain a certain level of decorum and Skye unintentionally upset Amelia." Elisabeth said in an exhausted tone, she was supposed to be having the day off since she had worked 14 days straight. She was exhausted to the point that even the smallest annoyances were getting to her.

"What did she say?" Alicia asked.

"They were talking and I think Skye mentioned Lucas it went downhill. I managed to calm her down but she's still not relaxed and is refusing medication. I was hoping your presence might help her" Elisabeth said. Alicia nodded and moved to the curtained off room.

"Amelia?" Alicia said as she slipped between the curtain opening and pulled the chair up to Amelia who was staring down at her right hand. Amelia looked up at her with bloodshot eyes, she was still crying as tears slid down her face but her overall demeanour was calm.

"Hey I'm sorry" Amelia said as she shakily brushed the tears away.

"What for?" Alicia said as she sat on the edge of the bed,

"Everything. I can't stop crying. I feel so stupid and juvenile" Amelia said.

"You had a rough time. Talking helps but only when you're ready to share if people push you it's not the same. So it's ok to cry and melt down as it helps you process and get it out of your system." Alicia told her.

"Is that what you do?" Amelia asked as she felt horrible not just physically but emotionally as well. It seemed she couldn't survive an hour without Alicia, she had become an anchor to Amelia as the Infirmary was a foriegn place.

"Sometimes, most of the time I pound the crap out of a punching bag or just go for a long run. I like feeling the freedom of running and knowing that whatever happened was just a moment and like all the moments they fade and are nothing more than a faint memory. I also tell myself that things may never be the same but they can get better. " Alicia told her as she rubbed Amelia's arm in comforting gesture.

"Will you stay?" Amelia asked as she didn't want to be left alone in the infirmary. Alicia pursed her lips for a moment in thought before looking straight at her.

"You know what? Why don't I see if we can get you an early release? Boylan has a stocked fridge and this huge plex screen to watch whatever you want" Alicia said with a smile.

"I'd like that" Amelia said as she really wanted a distraction from everything. Alicia nodded and left Amelia for a moment to talk with Elisabeth. Amelia watched the two and saw Elisabeth shake her head but then Alicia continued to talk with her sternly or so it appeared from Alicia's demeanour and the two talked until Elisabeth dropped her head and gave a nod.

"Can we walk?" Amelia asked when Alicia came back and stood at the end of her bed.

"You sure you're up to it?" Alicia asked, the house was a good 10 minute walk from the infirmary. It was nothing for an uninjured person but for someone in Amelia's condition it would feel like a 10km hike.

"I wanna go now" Amelia said pulling the blanket off her legs. Alicia chuckled at her enthusiam and moved to her side and pulled the blanket back over Amelia's legs.

"The house is only a short walk from here. So stay where you are and rest up a bit. I'll go grab you some clothes and shoes. Be right back got it?" Alicia told her.

"Ok" Amelia said lying back and relaxing as she would soon be hidden away from the colony and their questions.

* * *

Amelia grimaced 15 minutes later as Alicia tied the laces of Amelia's boots. She felt like a 3 year old being helped into her clothes and her shoes.

"What did you say to get me an early release?" Amelia asked as she pushed her second foot into a boot for Alicia.

"I reminded her that I hold a medical degree, a valid medical licence and have been practising for many years which means I'm more than capable of monitoring your recovery" Alicia said as she tied the laces on the boots. She made a mental note to ask Elisabeth if Amelia could borrow a pair of Maddy's slip on boots. Possibly get the two girls to meet as Alicia knew they were close in age and intellect. That and Maddy would be more sensitive to not bringing up the whole 'so you were a prisoner' conversation.

"I feel like a 3 year old having you dress me like this" Amelia grumbled.

"Would a bowl of sorbet when we get to Boylan's make you feel better?" Alicia teased in a motherly fashion. Amelia remembered Skye mentioning Boylan and wondered what the man was like in general. He was letting the stay at his place which told her he was generous.

"Maybe" Amelia responded as Alicia helped her slide off the bed. Amelia groaned as her body complained from the movement.

"You sure about this?" Alicia asked her as she held Amelia's right arm in hers. Their height difference between Alicia's 5ft 8 to Amelia's 5ft 3 made it slightly awkward but they managed. If Alicia had needed support walking it would have been easy for Amelia but the other way round not so much.

"Yeah, you said it was a short walk" Amelia said.

"It is and you can set the pace" Alicia told her as Amelia took the first few tentative steps slowly. Her legs felt like jelly from exhaustion already but she was determined to get to Boylan's house and away from the infirmary/

"Thank you" Amelia said.

"You don't have to thank me. It's what friends do for one another" Alicia told her as they slowly made their way out of the infirmary.

* * *

They made it outside and for the first time Amelia saw the colony. Alicia talked her through everything Amelia was taking in. Alicia pointed out the Command Centre, the main square and other main points of interest such as the market place and Boylan's Bar. It was early evening so people were still milling around the area but not as many as there had been when the markets were open and there were Soldiers on duty walking around in armour and holding weapons.

Most people looked their way but didn't approach except for one man. Amelia vaguely remembered him from the bungalow after she had been injured and Lucas held her. But now she was getting better look at him. She held onto Alicia's arm a little more tightly as he neared them with a friendly enough smile.

"Good Evening Ladies, this a planned escape or are you on the lam?" he asked, He was 6ft tall man in his early fifties with white hair and blue eyes.

"Just taking her for a short walk. Amelia, this is Commander Nathaniel Taylor. He is the leader of the colony and Lucas's father" Alicia said making the introductions. Amelia stopped for a second as her brain made the connections with what she had been told about Taylor and looking for the similarities between Lucas and his father.

"Pleasure to meet you and welcome to the colony Miss Jones" Taylor said to her as he sized her up. He noted her messy honey brown hair and bloodshot eyes, her frail 5ft 3 frame and thought how she could use a few sturdy meals and a hot shower but he could see what appealed to his son. She was beautiful for her age but completely unaware of it as she didn't have the same air of confidence like Skye. There was also an undefinable innocence of her even with the trauma she had endured, she looked at him openly. Her thoughts clearly written in her dark brown eyes as she had no guile.

"Thank you" Amelia said.

"I won't keep you two but I thought I should come over and say hello. I was also hoping I could talk with you tomorrow or the next day about your situation. While it is all fresh in your memory" Taylor said he saw how she visibly flinched at the word memory.

"Do I have to talk about it?" Amelia asked Alicia.

"Yes, it's standard procedure. All of personnel returning to the colony have to be debriefed. Don't worry I'll be there with you" Alicia told her. Amelia gave a nod visibly relieved at knowing she won't be left alone. Taylor wondered if the girl had imprinted on Alicia like a duckling as she was holding onto Alicia for dear life and deferring to her for advice.

"Just a few simple questions" Taylor assured Amelia while he darted looks at Alicia who stared at him with undisguised anger and disappointment. At least he knew where he stood with her.

"Ok" Amelia said, she was dying to ask him about Lucas but decided to wait until tomorrow as she was shaking from exhaustion and really needed to lie down.

"Good I'll drop by the infirmary after breakfast to talk with you" Taylor said, Amelia had opened her mouth to correct him and say they were at the infirmary but Alicia cut in first.

"Not a problem. If you'll excuse us I'm going to keep Amelia moving for her circulation" Alicia said with a tight closed lipped smile.

"Alright, until then. Have a good evening" Taylor said with a nod. He turned and walked away.

"I won't be in the infirmary tomorrow will I?" Amelia asked Alicia confused as to what was going on. Alicia slowly directed them away from the main square in the direction of the residential area.

"No, you will be at our place resting your pretty caboose on the lounge" Alicia said with a smile.

"Then why-"

"I don't know, I'm just angry at him and right now making him run in circles for half an hour tomorrow trying to find you. It's petty but at least he won't write me up on it." Alicia said with a sigh, she was sure she could beat the man to a pulp and he'd take it because he felt he deserved it. But she wouldn't as it wouldn't make her feel better or help either of them in the long run. It would seem they were at an impasse until they spoke in private and had it out.

"Were you and he?" Amelia asked eluding to whether the two had a intimate relationship but unsure of what etiquette and words were used in the 22nd century.

"No, he's my commanding officer it's a big no-no in the military" Alicia told her, she wouldn't deny that she didn't have feeling for her commander something akin to Love but then she wasn't going to dwell on something that was never going to happen. Unlike Carter who told her he loved her openly and loudly to anyone who would listen. While he could never play by the rules and forever getting in trouble he was always coming back to her and never giving up.

"I know but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen" Amelia said plainly. Alicia smiled at Amelia's prodding the girl was a military brat so of course she would know all about how the military worked and their dirty little secrets.

"It would never happen, I've served with him for over 18 years. Taylor is a stickler for the regs" Alicia assured her.

"But if-"

"I'm not playing the 'what ifs' with you Amelia" Alicia said with a laugh. They lapsed into companionable silence as they walked down the main gravel road. She had to agree with Alicia who once said living in the Colony was a lap of luxury in comparison to the tree bungalows.

The houses they passed weren't overly large but they were impressive from the exterior, they had decent amount of space between them unlike the McMansions of the 21st century where you lived in a two storey luxury home with the tiniest courtyard and your neighbour's house was so close to yours, you could hold a conversation from your kitchen window and pass them a cup of sugar without stretching your arm out of its socket.

There was only one main road that was gravel and it circled the colony. She couldn't get over the space and the greenery even in the dark. Alicia finally directed them to an Orange one storey house with a bright blue door.

"Here we are" Alicia said as they stepped up to the door. Alicia input a code onto a keypad and the lock disengaged on the door. Alicia pushed it open and gestured Amelia in. "Welcome to our temporary digs" she said.

Amelia walked slowly into the house taking in the open living plan of the house. The walls were all random colours signifying the changes in areas. The kitchen was yellow, the living and dining area a dark blue. She could see the doors open to two rooms where one was red and the other a dark aquamarine.

"Kitchen, dining and living room. The bedroom to the left with the red walls is Boylan's. To the left are our rooms, they are both dark aquamarine and the bathroom is down the hallway to the left. The green he painted it, is interesting" Alicia said as she took Amelia for a tour she even showed her the bathroom

"It's like someone skinned Kermit the frog and used him for wall paper" Amelia commented when she saw the garishly bright green walls of the bathroom. Alicia smirked even though she didn't know who Kermit was she figured Amelia wouldn't remain silent.

"Interesting, anyways a working bathroom and hot shower is nothing to sneeze at. We'll keep our opinions on the décor to a minimum as we don't want to offend our host" Alicia said.

"Ok, can we sit down now?" Amelia asked.

"Definitely" Alicia said as she helped Amelia back to the main living area. "Can I just say my place was not as plush as this but Boylan has a way of getting things he wanted through the portal" she said as she helped Amelia onto the plush lounge. Amelia sighed from the comfort as the lounge hugged her body. Alicia had had the stock standard furniture that came with the houses but the lounge they were sitting on was not standard. It was a four seater lounge with a proper back and arm rests and many cushions, it was also very comfortable.

"What do you want to watch?" Alicia asked Amelia as she picked up a small hand held plex and moved back to the lounge.

"Anything that isn't violent" Amelia said as Alicia lifted Amelia's legs and placed them over hers as she sat down.

"I think I handle that request" Alicia said as she turned on the large plex that was on the wall opposite them.

"Alicia?" Amelia asked as the screen lit up and Alicia scrolled through all the programs trying to decide what to watch.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Lucas and Carter?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, I saw Carter today. He sends his regards from the 'pokey'" Alicia said in a rich voice that made Amelia smile as she could just hear his voice in her head saying those words with a wink and smile. "and Lucas well I spoke with half an hour ago"

"Is he ok?" Amelia asked her concern for Lucas was written on her face.

"Yes, he's in the brig. He was more concerned about you and asked after you a lot" Alicia said testing the waters. She knew Amelia had feelings for Lucas it was hard not to as far as Alicia was concerned. Lucas had taken care of Amelia, he never raised his hand or voice in anger at her once. Of course Amelia would fall for him, he was her knight in shining armour. A syndrome she had fallen into with Carter when he took care of her during her long months in the Sixer/Phoenix camp but Alicia had fallen easy as Carter and her had a long history of being off and on more off due to his propensity for being a jerk. But she never stopped loving him.

"You sound like you approve" Amelia said carefully.

"No, I don't approve of him" Alicia told her she watched Amelia's face drop a little at the news.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because he shot me and never apologised. It was very rude" Alicia remarked.

"Seriously?" Amelia asked incredulously.

"No, but I have my reasons and anyway he's going to be in the brig indefinitely for his crimes. So he'll never really have a chance to redeem himself" Alicia said matter of factorily.

"What if he could?" Amelia asked.

"I don't do 'what ifs' and you shouldn't either" Alicia advised Amelia who nodded heeding Alicia's words as she had yet to steer her wrong.

* * *

_TBC~ Cya all next week!_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Amelia woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon and fresh fruit in the air. She couldn't believe she had fallen asleep on the lounge but that was where she was cocooned under a throw blanket. Her stomach gurgled in hunger while her ribs and hand throbbed with pain. She opened her eyes and stifled a groan as her head and body complained from the movement it was like the list of aches and pains were increasing with every movement she made as she used her left hand and arm to pull herself to an upright position and looked toward the kitchen to find a stocky man about 5ft 10 with greying hair cooking at the stove top. He noticed her awake and gave an open and welcoming smile.

"Well G'day there, hope you like scrambled eggs" He said with a strong Australian accent as he plated said eggs onto a large serving plate. "I'm Tom Boylan, local bar owner, entrepreneur and your new landlord. But you can call me Boylan. Now come on don't be shy and get over here and eat some grub" he added as he moved two plates of food one with the eggs and the other with bacon to the table that was already set with a large bowl of fruit salad, plates and cutlery.

Amelia got to her feet and slowly made her way to the table and sat down opposite Boylan. She shifted uncomfortably as her muscles were aching and fatigued.

"I'm Amelia, umm where's Alicia?" Amelia asked as she ran a hand through her bird's nest hair. She really couldn't care about her appearance as she pressed her left hand to her head and leaned on on her elbow on the table. The bones in her face ached like someone had spent hours scraping at her bones.

"Shower, she'll be out in a minute. Now once you put some lining in your gut I'll give you some of your happy pills" he told her as he pulled out a pill container and placed it on the table as motivation to make her eat. She wasn't going to argue with him as she needed both food and pain meds.

Amelia nodded as she sat up straight and haphazardly tried to scoop up some fruit with her left hand but found it incredibly difficult before she could even make a real attempt of depositing the fruit onto her plate. Boylan took over and within seconds he wordlessly piled her plate with a healthy serving of all the foods on offer not even asking her what she wanted.

"Thanks" Amelia mumbled embarrassed that she couldn't even serve herself breakfast she was so weak.

"No worries and don't worry about table manners round here. If you need to use your fingers go ahead, the Queen is back in 2149 not here" he told her. Amelia nodded and awkwardly picked her fork with her left hand and started with the fruit as she could stab it. She watched him pile his own plate and begin to eat.

"Good Morning" Alicia said as she came into the room and moved to the seat next to Amelia and sat down. She piled up her plate of food and then poured herself and Amelia two glasses of fruit juice.

"Morning, how did you sleep last night?" Boylan asked her before he took another bite of his breakfast.

"Good as always. Yourself?" Alicia asked.

"Like a Rock" Boylan said with a smile.

"Good and Amelia, how did you sleep?" Alicia asked.

"Well, that lounge is really comfortable" Amelia said, Alicia picked up the container of pain killers and popped the top open and pulled out two small tablets and held out to Amelia who happily downed them with her juice before she continued eating. The food was delicious and incredibly fresh. It was heavenly even if she did have to pick up the bacon with her fingers she used her fork for the eggs and fruit.

"Yeah it's good for a kip. So what are your plans for the day?" Boylan asked making conversation.

"I have a report to write" Alicia said dryly as she did not look forward to hours she would spend with the plex.

"Sleep" Amelia said as it really was all she wanted to do as she knew the pain killers would knock her out. She was already feeling drowsy but it was from the food not the drugs as her hand was still aching.

"Is there anything you want us to do?" Alicia asked Boylan.

"No, just making conversation. Speaking of, I have to go soon and talk to a man about a dog" Boylan said noting the time on the wall. Amelia looked and was shocked to see it was nearly 10:30am.

"So should we expect you home for dinner or lunch?" Alicia asked as they continued to eat.

"Nah I'll eat at work but thanks for the thought" Boylan said, a knock sounded at the door. Alicia was about to get up when Boylan waved her back down. "Oh let me get it" he said with a smile. Amelia had to say she liked Boylan he seemed to be an easy going man quick with a smile.

Alicia smothered a smile as Boylan opened the door to find Commander Taylor and Jim Shannon at his doorstep. She kept her head down and continued to eat pretending to be oblivious to who was at the door step and also watching Amelia. She was glad the girl was eating and hoped she didn't upend the breakfast from eating too fast.

"Well, well what a lovely surprise" Boylan said in his usual jovial manner and he smiled over his shoulder at Alicia. Christmas had come early for him as Commander Taylor looked mighty angry. "I don't think you've ever darkened the doorstep of my homestead before Commander. Would you two like to come in I just made breakfast and a fresh pot of coffee" Boylan offered.

"No, I want to speak to Wash" Taylor said.

"Well you'd still have to come in and socialise. Perhaps a cup of coffee?" Boylan offered as he was trying to goad Taylor into stepping into his home.

"Just ask Wash to come to the door" Taylor said as he had no desire to stand in Boylan's home. Boylan stood at the doorway looking at Taylor expectantly like he was waiting for Taylor to finish his request with a 'please'. He was going to be waiting a long time before Taylor said 'Please' to him.

"Righto" Boylan said after a few very awkward seconds passed. "Oi Wash"

"Coming" Alicia said.

"That's what she said last night" Boylan joked which earned him a punch in the arm from Alicia. Boylan laughed as he left Alicia with Taylor and Jim. She rose her chin in a signal of defiance and power so Taylor would not mistake her for someone he could make cower under his fury.

"Commander, Sheriff" Alicia said as she leaned against the open door frame and folded her arms across her chest.

"Wash, you removed the girl from the infirmary without notifying me" Taylor remarked in a serious tone as he was annoyed to find an empty biobed and medical staff completely useless for information as the night staff had gone home taking the information of where Amelia was with them.

"Good morning to you too sir. I'm good, yourself?" Alicia asked casually pretending to have missed his tone

"Don't get cute with me. I just spent the last two hours trying to track you down" Taylor told her darkly.

"I wasn't aware I had to keep you notified of my movements" Alicia said mockingly innocent but she was ready to go toe to toe with Taylor as there were many things she could call him on for not doing.

"Ah can we all take a step back" Jim said as he could feel the air becoming incredibly tense by the second and really didn't want to get in the middle of Taylor and Alicia. "We were hoping to talk with Miss Jones this morning" Jim added.

"She isn't ready to be debriefed" Alicia said as she looked over her shoulder to see Boylan and Amelia chatting in low voices. Whatever Boylan was saying was making the girl smile as she politely tried to decline more food but Boylan still put the food on her plate.

"It's best for us to talk with her while the memories of what happened and her time in -"

"Imprisonment?" Alicia offered before Jim could say 'captivity' she hated the word as it made it sound like she and Amelia were dogs.

"are still fresh in her mind" Jim said, Alicia looked over her shoulder at Amelia again and noted she was no longer smiling but looking at the table frozen at what was being said but only for a moment before Boylan nudged her and silently directed her to eat. Alicia looked back at Taylor and Jim they were determined to get it over with. She squashed the bitterness at how she didn't rank as much of a priority for being debriefed.

"Well I've already given her the meds Doc Shannon prescribed. She's going to be out cold in 20 minutes if not sooner and won't wake until around lunch time or possibly later" Alicia said matter of factorily.

"Then we will do it this afternoon after lunch. Name the time and I'll make it happen at the Command Centre" Taylor said. Alicia took a deep breath to give herself a moment and to just make them wait.

"Play by ear but say 1400 hours and I will be present for the whole of the debrief" Alicia said firmly.

"It's unnecessary and you know we don't allow it" Taylor said. It was true for soldiers as they kept them separate so they if they lied the inconsistencies would show in separate testimonies than together where they could play off one another's visual cues of when to shut up or how much to give.

"She's a minor not one of your soldiers. Military protocol for P.O.W. recovery doesn't apply here and as her guardian I will be present for any and all questions you want to ask her" Alicia told him standing up straight and folding her arms across her chest making her stance be known. She was not backing down and if Taylor tried to circumnavigate her, hell would be paid.

"Bit protective aren't you?" Taylor asked eyeing Alicia's overprotective behaviour of the girl.

"I know how you are with anything related to your son. Now if you two aren't coming in for coffee I'll see you both at 1400 hours Command Centre." Alicia said she waited for a moment before the men declined the coffee saying something about work and leaving. She closed the door and went back to the dining table next to Amelia who finished her glass of juice.

"What do they want to talk to me about?" Amelia asked.

"What happened, how you got here, probably your plans for your future etc. I'll talk to the school next week and schedule an appointment for you to be tested" Alicia said adding it to the long list of things she had to do in regards to Amelia.

"Tested?" Amelia asked.

"Relax it won't be for at least a month and it's to see what level you are at scholastically speaking" Alicia said eyeing Amelia carefully.

"I was in my final year" Amelia said she really didn't want to start from scratch and she feared she'd rank down at the bottom of the scale. She rather live in the blissful ignorance than go from highly intelligent by 21st standards to lame brain by 22nd century standards.

"I know but if you want to continue into Tertiary education then you'll have to take the tests" Alicia told her. She obviously saw the concern. "You'll breeze through it. It's just a basic test nothing as complicated as what Lucas had you doing" Alicia assured her. They all lapsed into silence for a few minutes as they continued with breakfast for which Alicia was grateful as Boylan didn't ask questions Amelia any questions that were too personal or about Lucas.

"Well ladies, I'd hate to cut and run but I have to go see a man about a dog" Boylan said as he finished his breakfast with a satisfied sigh.

"You're getting a dog?" Amelia asked confused. Alicia and Boylan smothered their laughter. Boylan shook his head.

"No, it's a common phrase just means I'm heading out. " Boylan told her.

"Oh ok, I think I'm going to lie down" Amelia said as exhaustion washed over her from a full stomach and the pain killers that were starting to kick in.

"That's a good idea. I'll clean up here so go ahead to bed and I'll wake you up when it's time for lunch" Alicia told her. Amelia nodded and slowly rose from her chair and went to the bedroom and closed the door. She laid down on the bed and didn't even bother to get under the blankets before she passed out to the world.

* * *

"She going to be ok?" Boylan asked with genuine concern as he helped Alicia clean up the dining table from breakfast.

"You afraid she'll try and kill you in your sleep?" Alicia asked dryly as they packed the dirty dishes away into the dish washer. Boylan gave a chuckle before looking insulted.

"Hey, this is genuine concern about another human's well being not about my personal safety. "He said with a serious tone though it sounded slightly mocking. "Anyway I could snap her like a twig she's so tiny" he added with a smile as he took a washcloth and wiped down the dining table.

"She'll be fine once everything squared away and she can get on with living her life. Right now it's like we're in limbo" Alicia said with a sigh as she felt like she was in limbo. She packed the last dish in and closed the door on the diswasher and turned it on. It was truly the small things in life that made life really pleasurable like running water.

"I believe it's called an adjustment period" Boylan said in a tone only a psychologist would use to correct their patient. Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I gotta get to work my report. I have over 8 months to recount" Alicia said.

"Well I'll see you two tomorrow for breakfast unless you feel like visiting the bar" Boylan said.

"We'll see" Alicia said as she picked up a plex from the kitchen island. Boylan gave a nod and left the house whistling to himself. She moved to the couch and sat down, she closed her eyes and took a moment before she opened the program she needed and started an audio log to transcribe her spoken words into text.

* * *

Amelia woke up a few hours later feeling rested but slightly doped out from the pain killers she enjoyed the euphoria of not feeling any pain even though she felt like she could float off the bed.

She used her left hand and slowly pushed off the bed and got to her feet, her head spun for a couple of seconds before righting itself. It was an odd sensation as she couldn't feel her feet on the ground, She hadn't felt like this since she had gotten shot and was on strong painkillers after surgery. She moved slowly to the door and heard Alicia talking she frowned as she couldn't hear the words and slowly slid the door opened only for Alicia to stop talking and looked over from her place on the lounge.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Alicia asked.

"No I just woke up. Who are you talking to?" Amelia asked curiously.

"I was doing my report, there is a program that transcribes what I say into text. It saves a lot of time." Alicia said as she placed the plex down on the coffee table as Amelia moved to sit down on the lounge next to her. Alicia looked at Amelia and noted the girl was high on the pain killers as her pupils were like saucer dishes.

"Makes sense" Amelia said with a nod.

"How you feeling?" Alciia asked her.

"Like I'm made of cotton candy" Amelia said with a giggle. She looked shocked as if surprised she had giggled. Then somehow it was incredibly funny and she started to laugh. Alicia looked at her with an odd smile as Amelia calmed down and pressed a hand to her chest as it felt tight. "Sorry, I don't know why I laughed" Amelia said.

"Cause you're high. I think you need a smaller dose of analgesics" Alicia said as Amelia seemed to be fascinated with the movements of her left hand fingers. "We have 3 hours until the meeting why don't we eat some lunch and you sleep the rest of the meds off" Alicia suggested, Amelia nodded she wasn't hungry but she did know she needed the food to keep her going.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Amelia asked looking up from her fingers that she had been flexing.

"No, you just relax. The more rest you get the faster you'll heal" Alicia said.

* * *

"Wash has been incredibly hostile" Jim said to Taylor as they were alone the soldiers had just taken yet another sixer was removed from the Command Centre. They had been debriefing the sixers all morning and for about two hours after lunch the clock read 5 minutes to 2pm.

"She's been a prisoner too long and lost her discipline. Once she gets it all out of her system she'll be back to the old Wash we all knew" Taylor said in a low voice.

"Can I suggest we tread carefully with Amelia Jones. I want to mend the bridges with Wash. So why don't I do all the questioning in regards to Amelia and what we know about her" Jim suggested he was referring to the information they had learned about their newest addition. Apparently she was just a girl who met unfortunate accident and wound up in the Badlands. Lucas had taken a fondness to her and kept her alive something he had never done before. It was incredibly out of character for his son who was hell bent on taking apart his father's legacy piece by piece.

"Agreed" Taylor said he knew it would safer if he kept his mouth shut. S knock sounded at the doorway and Taylor called out the doors opened and Alicia walked in first with Amelia just a step behind her. Alicia looked beautiful as she was dressed in a cargo pants, black t-shirt and her leather jacket her hair was loose around her shoulders. Taylor rarely saw her with her hair out. He turned his attention to the girl closely as she came into the room. She was dressed in cargo pants a white tank top with a fitted zipper front navy blue hoodie jumper with the sleeves covering her hand.

Her honey brown hair was clean and hung loose in natural waves that framed her face beautifully. She looked pale but better than she did the previous day. She didn't look directly at them but it wasn't meekness as her posture was one of a person with quiet confidence as her shoulders were square and her back straight her chin wasn't even lowered there was no sign she was submissive as they believed her to be. Her deferring to Alicia for advice wasn't that she was afraid of them but that she didn't want to put a foot out of place.

Alicia and Amelia sat down on the opposite side Jim and Taylor at the table. Amelia sat in the chair next to her still as high as kite. It was going to be an interesting conversation as they had stopped by the Infirmary to see if Elisabeth could sober the girl up but Elisabeth said it was best to let the drugs wash out of Amelia's system in case she was sensitive to anymore of their medicines. She had given Alicia a new container of analgesics that were supposed to be for toddlers. Amelia had giggled at the pain killers as they were in the shape of tiny dinosaurs.

" We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Commander Nathaniel Taylor. I'm the leader of this Colony and this is Jim Shannon he is the local Sherrif and my Second in command." Taylor said as he introduced himself and Jim.

"Amelia Jones. I'd shake your hand but yeah" Amelia said as she lifted her right hand that was in it's brace. The Gentlemen nodded.

"So how are you ladies? Would you like something to drink?" Taylor asked.

"Water please" Amelia said staring at Taylor as she tried to act naturally. She was still high from the pain killers even after a big lunch and a long nap. She woke up and she still couldn't feel her feet on the ground but she wasn't in any pain. Alicia had told her that they should cancel but Amelia wanted to get it over with and thought if she couldn't feel her pain or concentrate it might go easier. She also knew no matter how hard she tried they already had their opinion of her so there was no point in trying to impress them when she was just a random girl from 2012.

Taylor moved away and came back with a couple of glasses of water and placed them on the table in front of Alicia and Amelia.

"Thank you" Amelia said. Alicia murmured her thanks as she sat back in her chair comfortably as if she was going to just observe. Amelia hoped Alicia would stop her from making a fool of herself as right now she wasn't sure she could keep a straight face as Jim was eyeing her strangely.

"Are you high?" Jim asked her.

"No" Amelia said Jim quirked an eyebrow at her as if questioning the validity of her answer. "Yes but not on purpose" Amelia admitted feeling guilty, Jim looked slightly amused by her answer as he looked to Alicia who gave a shrug.

"She is sensitive to our meds. Doc Shannon said she has to digest them as any counteractives would do more harm than good. I wanted to cancel but Amelia didn't. So here we are" Alicia said casually. Taylor did look amused by the information but kept quiet.

"You sure you don't want to wait?" Jim asked Amelia.

"Yes, I want to get this over with. I have nothing to hide and I'm better than I was a couple of hours ago" Amelia said. She watched as Jim pressed a few buttons on a plex and informed her they were going to record the meeting before he pressed a button and announced the time, date and Amelia's name. They made her state her name again for the record and her personal details like her birthday, where she was born, what schools she attended, her family history etc.

"Thanks the records of you in our database are very light" Jim said after he finished asking her questions about her past.

"I'm 17 of course it's light. I've barely begun to make my impact on the world. If I was ever going to make one" Amelia said begrudgingly. Though inwardly she admitted she did have plans to be someone of stature and importance. She had been a Golden Key recipient the world would have been her oyster.

"Well you got a whole life ahead of you to make one here in Terra Nova. You are in your final year of high school. Must have been pretty stressful" Jim said making conversation.

"Yeah, I have… had assessments, major artwork to finish, exams not to mention Ballet, soccer. I was pretty busy all the time but not anymore" Amelia said.

"I saw the photos are they your major artwork? cause they are good" Jim said.

"Yeah I was going to do a 4D installation using photos. I prefer painting and sculpture work but Photography is more portable than and not as messy as transporting paints and clay" Amelia said as she looked down at the table and traced an imaginary pattern on the table.

"Well you can always pick up painting here in Terra Nova. We got a couple of artists in the colony, you should ask them on where they get their supplies or even apprentice with one of them if Art is your passion" Jim said.

"Maybe see how badly I do on the test" Amelia said. She'd love to be an artist but she felt it wouldn't be responsible to drop her studies after all the effort she had put into studying and she didn't feel she was even halfway talented to be come a full time artist.

"Test?" Jim asked.

"For going back to school" Alicia answered Jim nodded in comprehension.

"You think you'll do that badly?" Jim asked.

"Don't you all think I'll do poorly? My education is over 100 years old" Amelia said her eyes levelling with Taylor's and Jim's. She was watching their reaction Taylor remained neutral not giving anything away whereas Jim looked surprised at her acerbic comment.

"I don't think so you seem pretty bright for a girl high on pain meds" Jim told her with a smile. Amelia returned the smile before she picked up her glass of water and took a sip. His expression turned serious.

"Amelia, we need you to tell us in your own words what happened from the time you arrived in the Badlands to coming here." Jim told her.

"I thought you already know everything" Amelia said.

"We like to have the whole story just for our records" Jim told her.

"Ah a lot of it is really fuzzy" Amelia said.

"because you're high?" Taylor asked Amelia pursed her lips as now she knew Taylor probably thought she was some stupid drughead. He was going to have a shock when she proved him otherwise. She felt for Lucas as Taylor appeared to be a hard man.

"No because I was injured. I don't understand science of what happened but one minute I was driving home in the middle of a downpour and the next I was in the desert and crashed. I only remember coming to and just feeling incredibly hot and humid and in pain. I remember being jammed in my seat and having metal in my leg. I remember seeing Lucas and him pulling me out of the car but I was in and out of consciousness I don't know it was like a bad dream. The next time I was conscious I was lying in a cot up in the tree bungalow…" Amelia continued talking but didn't look at them as it was easier to pretend she was talking to herself than see their reactions.

She told them about meeting Lucas and everyone else she encountered her life in the camp. Living with Alicia and Carter and giggling about how loudly Carter snored. She stumbled through telling them about the first time Hooper had tortured her. She left out the specifics of everything Lucas said to her and his nightmares they weren't relevant.

They didn't ask questions or prompt her until an half an hour later she reached the final day. It was funny how she could wipe out the first attack from Hooper with memories of Lucas taking care of her. But the last encounter with Hooper was unlike anything she had experienced before and she hadn't truly decompressed from the event. She had sobbed in Lucas's arms like a 5 yr old but she had wished he had been there when she woke up. He had a way of putting things into a pragmatic perspective that made what she felt feel irrelevant and thus not necessary to feel.

"So you and Wash were in your bungalow. You weren't feeling well when Hooper appeared" Taylor prompted. He watched the girl swallow and stare at the table like she were 5000 miles from here. She had been cooperative so far and he had listened silently stunned and not sure whether to believe what she was telling him. His son who refused to speak about his mother for over a decade spoke about Ayani with her.

Lucas protected this girl, gave her food and took care of her. It was so contradictory of the man he believed his son to be and yet not once did she claim he was an innocent man or changed. In fact she said the opposite she kept saying things along the line of 'I understand he's done terrible things and I understand he has to serve some kind of contrition. But he treated me with the utmost respect and kindness when he could have left me for dead'. It was clear the girl was in love with his son and if it wasn't love it was definitely a deep infatuation. Some form of Stockholm Syndrome, she was going to have to be cured of in Taylor's opinion.

Amelia opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered every kick and punch but mainly it was her hand. The fact that there was only a slim chance she would recover full use of it. She was a dedicated right handed person, she could write or draw let alone attempt any complex finer motor skills with her left hand.

It just added to the heartbreak of losing her family as her art was second most precious thing to her after her family. She hated Hooper as he was the monster who ruined her potential and put fear into her.

"Perhaps we should take a break" Alicia suggested sitting forward in her chair.

"No I want to finish this. I don't ever want to repeat this again" Amelia said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You only have to tell us once" Taylor said he saw no point in having Amelia repeat herself more than one as she had volunteered a lot of personal information freely and spoke with a clarity that everything she said was truthful. He knew the drugs in her system were helping the outpour of information.

"He came in and ordered two men to hold me…" Amelia recounted in detail about what happened with Hooper. Alicia being tortured, how she kicked one of the soldiers off the side and knocked the other unconscious. How she fought with Hooper and how he toyed with her. Tears slipped down her face as she spoke in an even tone about the fight.

"I was in so much pain from my hand I think I blacked out because the next thing I knew he was on top of me strangling me" Amelia stopped and took a moment "I assume that's when Alicia shot him. Lucas pulled him off me and the rest you know. Are we finished?" Amelia asked.

"Not yet we do have a few more questions" Jim said.

"She's told you everything you need to know" Alicia said as she wanted to take Amelia home and give the girl some more meds and make her lie down.

"Not everything. How far along is Lucas with his work?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know" Amelia said truthfully.

"You said he helped you so that you'd help him with his work" Taylor said.

"I never reached the part where I helped him. Physics isn't my strong suit. Is he ok? Where is he?" Amelia asked as if she had been waiting weeks to ask the questions. Taylor and Jim exchanged looks having the same thought as Taylor had earlier about Amelia having an unhealthy attachment to Lucas before Jim answered.

"He's in the brig and he's fine" Jim answered.

"Would I be able to see him?" Amelia asked.

"He was your captor" Taylor said which translated to 'No' in Amelia's mind.

"Have you not been listening? Hooper was my captor. Lucas took care of me, he's my friend" Amelia said though she wasn't sure friend was the right word but then she had no idea what she and Lucas were but she knew she cared about him.

"He doesn't have visitation privileges" Taylor said

"When will he?" Amelia asked.

"Not for a long time yet. He has to answer for crimes first" Taylor said.

"Right" Amelia said sitting back despondently which meant whenever Taylor was satisfied that Lucas was sorry for what he did which would never happen as Lucas wasn't the least bit contritious about his actions.

"So you never helped him with the equations?" Taylor asked.

"No" Amelia half lied, she did point out a few mistakes or what she felt were mistakes but she didn't fix them.

"Did he ever talk to you about them or his plans?" Taylor asked.

"Not really, he internalizes a lot" Amelia said.

"Internalizes?" Taylor asked.

"He goes off into his own world up here" Amelia pointed to her head "Does all the working and processing. I swear even when he was talking to me I could see he was having three other discussions in his head" Amelia explained.

"Ok and did he explain to you how you happened to end up here?" Taylor asked as she had mentioned not understanding the science but it wasn't a clear description of what she knew.

"Yes he told me. He told me the life I knew was over and that I'd never see my family again because even if he could reopen the portal and send me back he wouldn't as I could affect the future and the outcome of history which I think is giving me way too much credit" Amelia told them in an annoyed tone as tears welled her eyes again she didn't understand why they were asking her these questions. She told them everything bar a few irrelevant things. Well they were relevant to her but not for them to know.

"Ok, that's it" Taylor said, Jim looked a little surprised but didn't question Taylor's decision to bring to an end. "I want to tell you I am deeply sorry you've been dragged into our world and mess and that you have lost your family and future with them because of my son. I hope in time Terra Nova becomes home even if it's not the one you want" Taylor said with deep sincerity as Amelia stared at him with tears streaking down her face.

"We'll give you a moment alone with Wash to collect yourself" Taylor said as he looked to Jim and the two men left the room. Amelia ran her hand over her face and wiped the tears from her eyes before she looked at Alicia with a look a disbelief.

"They think I'm lying about helping Lucas don't they?" Amelia asked Alicia in a low voice.

"No, I don't think so. I think they are surprised the Lucas you describe is very different from the Lucas they know" Alicia replied in a love voice.

"They think he's a monster" Amelia said looking at her hands.

"Yes but like all of us there is more to him than that" Alicia said.

* * *

_TBC~ Cya all in a few days with more :-)_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: sorry for the late update I lived in a zoo last week and didn't get alot sleep which in turn didn't help my writing... anyways thank you for the reviews! and ENJOY!_

* * *

Chapter 12

"Welcome home Son" Taylor said four weeks later as he pushed the door to his house open. Taylor had the place refitted with cameras and extra security measures like proper locking mechanisms for the all the doors and windows in the house along with sensors. They had planted a tracker in Lucas and an ankle bracelet that was an exact copy of one used in the 21st century. Taylor wanted Lucas to feel the weight of it as a reminder he wasn't free. Not that his son looked like he felt that weight but maybe after a few weeks he'd realise his limitations and feel the house as his prison than as a luxury.

All of his guns and machetes were stored safely away in the command centre armoury the only lethal weapons in the house were in the kitchen but it didn't worry him as Taylor had spoken with Lucas daily and seen his son was resigned that he would never be free. He worked on the calculations to pass the time and to Taylor's surprise Lucas even asked about Amelia on a daily basis.

Taylor still felt the two had some sort of twisted relationship and that Amelia was brainwashed in thinking his son had feelings for her when she was really his toy. But then his son was hard to read thus hard to trust. He was good at being genuine when he wasn't faintly close to it.

"You're making me move back home" Lucas commented even though he and Taylor hadn't shared housing in over a decade. After his mother's death his father had continued serving in the Military and sent Lucas to a boarding school so they only ended up sharing christmas and a few emails a year. Then after Bording school Lucas had boarded at University while his father continued his illustrious career.

"We have a housing shortage. I'm not putting a family out because you want to be topside. You should know your way around. I converted the third bedroom into an office for you to work and your papers, everything you will need is in there. Your clothing from storage is in your room. the door to the right" Taylor said pointing to the room in question.

"Any rules I should be aware of?" Lucas asked again just incase his father had thought of more on the short walk from the brig to his house.

"Nothing we haven't already discussed" Taylor told him, Lucas nodded. He was housebound, keep the place tidy and remember he couldn't take three steps off the front porch without an alarm being set off and if he tried to kill or maim his father in his sleep then it would be straight back to the brig. Pretty simple rules to follow but then Commander Taylor was a simple man in Lucas's opinion.

"Well I have to go back to work, I won't be home for dinner. I suggest you take a hot shower and make yourself at home" Taylor said as he looked at his comm. that buzzed with a new message.

"Right" Lucas said, not saying goodbye as Taylor gave a nod and left the house. Lucas looked around the house at the sparse furniture and interior decoration. It was Utilitarian style just like his father. He was amazed at how foreign being in a house felt like as he moved to the bedroom that was his and saw the bed and two large plastic containers with his personal items and clothing. It had been over five years since he had a change of clothes. He opened one of the boxes and pulled out the clothes they were musty from being stored for a long time but clean and decided to follow his father's suggestion of a shower.

* * *

"You have been cramming and sleeping four weeks straight. I think you need to get out" Alicia told Amelia as she turned of the Plex screen which meant it was lunch time. Amelia barely looked up from the plex in her hands as she got up from the lounge and moved to the dining table.

"I'm not going to be that stupid 21st century girl" Amelia told her.

"You're supposed to be resting and watching TV" Alicia reminded her. Alicia couldn't really talk she was supposed to be relaxing but all she had been doing was talking non stop to her plex doing work. It wasn't the best example but they did relax in the evenings.

"I have the TV on" Amelia said as she placed the plex on the table and gave her full attention to Alicia.

"Watching history documentaries about the last 100 years is not relaxing it's downright depressing." Alicia told her.

"I watch TV shows with Boylan when he's home" Amelia said.

"Don't remind me. It's creepy how he's become infatuated with watching everything that Simone Kessell woman is in. I don't even look or sound like her. She's New Zealand and I'm American" Alicia said as three weeks ago Amelia and Boylan had been watching a virus outbreak/Zombie movie called 'Panic at Rock Island'.

Not Amelia's choice but Boylan said he's seen it as a younger man and found it hilarious even if it was a bit gory. There had been an New Zealand actress who looked exactly like Alicia and Boylan even showed Alicia claiming he wouldn't hold Alicia's past life ethnicity and occupation against her.

Amelia didn't get the Australian-New Zealander rivalry or Boylan's sense of humour as he came off like he was insulting everyone but laughing it off as a joke. It was definitely an Australian trait. At least at the time she hadn't now she dished out as many insults as he threw at her all in good humour.

"I think it's uncanny" Amelia said with a smile as it really irked Alicia having a doppelganger who lived in a different country and time. She had also sat through every movie and guest star that Simone Kessell had been in because of Boylan. It was kind of fun to stalk a celebrity's movie career she had fallen into the pattern with old movies stars of the 20th century. She'd watch every Cary Grant movie she could find and then move onto Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart etc.

"Anyway you should be outside in the fresh air and sunshine getting to know some of the locals your own age and getting up to trouble" Alicia told her as she set down two plates with sandwiches on them and cut up pieces of fruit for Amelia as her hand was still not functional in it's brace.

"I need to know all of this stuff and I don't want to know anyone yet because right now I feel like I'm nothing but if I can ace this test then people will see that I'm stupid or some poor victim who is completely useless." Amelia said as she gestured to the plex.

"They don't think that" Alicia told her as she hated hearing Amelia put herself down in such a way. She wished Taylor had allowed Amelia to see Lucas as he seemed to have a way of boosting Amelia's confidence in her own intelligence. Sure Amelia listened to Alicia but it wasn't the same as Alicia was readily accepted back with happy but Amelia was treated like an oddity they smiled and were polite but didn't really accept her as stories were flying about her affiliation with Lucas. Since no one knew truth from fact they weren't ready to decide yet. It didn't help that Amelia wasn't in a sociable mode but Alicia wouldn't begrudge her that as she had had a rough time and needed time and space to heal.

"They do think it. I see the pity and the curiosity in their eyes. 'There goes that poor girl who was a prisoner of the sixers. I wonder what they did to her'. You don't see it because they are happy to see you alive and well" Amelia said as she took a sip of her water.

"That's not true, I see it. I know that they are asking questions about you and while most of the colony might be happy to see me there are some who think I'm a traitor because of my relationship with Carter" Alicia said.

"Really?" Amelia asked.

"They think that I was one of the sixer spies which is utter crap as I would have given over better intel than what Skye gave them" Alicia said tongue in cheek. Amelia smiled as she picked up half of the sandwich and took a bite. She was still getting used to the taste of food in Terra Nova as none of it was as highly processed as the food she ate and while they had similar foods they still tasted slightly different. She didn't want to say off as it wasn't an apt description but 'different' worked as the food was still delicious. She had put on the weight she had lost during her time with the sixers and her energy levels had improved.

She couldn't wait to go for a run or do some more rigorous activities but her hand stopped her as it was still healing and in a brace. She could move the fingers but her dexterity was severely diminished but Dr Shannon assured her in a few months it would improve greatly as the muscles and tendons would heal and be retrained until then she was supposed to take it easy and rest.

"Anyway the test is in three days when it's over I'll relax and watch TV and be a good patient until then I have to study and Boylan found a new actress he's infatuated with"

"That's comforting. Who has made his heart go a flutter now?" Alicia asked dryly.

* * *

Lucas wiped the steam off the mirror and looked at his reflection. He momentarily considered shaving but realised he didn't have a razor and seriously doubted his father would leave one stashed in the bathroom but then he'd hate give his father the impression he gave a damn about his physical appearance.

He turned away from the mirror and dried himself off with a towel before tossing on his fresh clothes and hanging his towel up to dry before leaving the bathroom. The long hot shower had done wonders. It was definitely a luxury he had missed out in the jungle. His thoughts drifted to Amelia as he wondered how she was going. She was probably welcomed into the fold and living perfectly content back at her studies and recovering from her injuries or so he liked to think as he had no clue how she really was. His Father was not so forth coming in regards to Amelia other than to say she was fine.

Fine didn't truly encapsulate what Lucas wanted, needed to know about Amelia. He wanted to know the true extent of her injuries. Would she recover full use of her hand again? How she was dealing emotionally? He never thought she would become such an obsession to him as he wanted to know everything that was happening in her world. He missed her presence and the distraction she gave him from his thoughts and the calculations.

After working nonstop for over 8 years on the calculations he never once felt he needed a break until he involved her in the process. Somehow her interruptions and he teaching her mathematical theory had refreshed his mind. It gave him the mental break he needed to think more clearly on the work when he went back to it. The last four weeks had been lacking that clarity and his work had become stagnate again as he hit a metaphorical brick wall. He didn't know if it were Amelia's absence or the fact his father finally won and was getting what he wanted even though what he wanted now over eight months ago was exactly what he tried to stop Lucas from doing. something Lucas found endlessly amusing.

He gave a sigh and went to his new 'office' to continue with his work on the calculations as he had nothing better to do with his time. He moved to the room that was usually a designated bedroom and saw there was a desk and a large plex board along with all his papers and a couple of plexs. Everything he would need to complete his work except the motivation.

* * *

Three days later, Amelia and Alicia left the school and headed to the infirmary. She had sat the exam which was a multiple choice exam of over 300 questions on varying subjects. It had taken 2 hours of the 3 hours allotted to finish and then Amelia was told to come back in two days and they'd discuss her future education. It didn't sound like she did well as the teachers kept a neutral facial expressions but she had studied hard. It wasn't her fault that 80% of the questions asked were of university standard or on obscure 22nd century subjects that Amelia hadn't even looked at.

"Seriously? No bread fungus is what grows on bread" Amelia said adamantly as she was comparing the answers she gave in the test to questions that had seemed weird.

"Nope, it's a poisonous fungus spore produced by toxic plant that grows like a weed outside the domes of southern tropical countries. It can decay lung tissue in under 5 minutes. I can't remember the proper name it starts with P" Alicia said, Amelia repeated the word in the one of the two possible answers for that question. "That's the one" Alicia said.

"Awesome, yet another question that I got wrong." Amelia said as she dropped her head dejected by the fact she was slowly confirming that a month on painkillers and hard core study was not conducive to passing a test.

"So you got 5 questions wrong so far and they are all common knowledge not book knowledge. Don't be so hard on yourself, the whole point of school is to learn" Alicia told her.

"Yeah you say that but when I'm the only 17 year old in kindergarten finger painting and doing my times tables again you'll think differently" Amelia grumbled Alicia laughed as she pushed the door open to the infirmary and stood to the side letting Amelia in first. Normally the door would be open but as the air was chillier than usual people had started to close the doors to keep what little warmth in, biding their time before they turned on the heaters.

"Hello ladies and how are we today?" Elisabeth asked greeting them warmly, Amelia like the doctor for many reasons. She had a great bedside manner. She told Amelia everything she needed to know and a few things she didn't but for most part she always made time for Amelia and when Elisabeth spoke to her, she spoke to Amelia like she was a human being with feelings not some meat puzzle to be sorted out and put together.

"Good though Amelia is torturing herself about exam she just sat" Alicia said as she knocked arms with the girl hoping make her smile. She had really taken the exam very seriously when it was just an assessment to gage her level of comprehension. It wasn't like the results would be published on the public bulletin board.

"It's an evaluation there is no passing or failing" Dr Shannon told her as she directed Amelia to an empty Bio bed.

"Say that to me after I get graded" Amelia said with a frown as she laid down on the bed. Alicia and Elisabeth shared a knowing smile as Amelia's attitude reminded them of Maddy whenever she had to do a test. She'd be all 'woe is me, I'm going to fail' then she'd end up getting top marks.

Amelia laid still as the Elisabeth ran the scans and a few minutes later Alicia helped her sit upright.

"Well everything looks to be in healing just fine. How is the pain?" Elisabeth asked.

"My ribs don't hurt as much but my hand still aches something chronic" Amelia commented as her fingers ached as they spoke but then she hadn't had any painkillers so she knew why.

"Well if you took your meds then you wouldn't feel it" Alicia told Amelia as she knew the only reason Amelia's hand ached was that she took the minimal amount of drugs so she was still able to concentrate instead of taking the full dose and being in a slightly dazed state.

"I had to study and the drugs make me loopy even those dino shaped ones" Amelia grumbled defensively to which Alicia and Elisabeth chuckled.

"Well you should take the meds if you feel any pain as your muscles need to relax during the healing process" Elisabeth said doning her 'doctor' hat again.

"I will now that I don't have to study for a test" Amelia said.

"Good" Alicia said smugly as she was going to get her way without resorting to slipping the pain meds into Amelia's food and drink like Boylan was doing to the girl at night. He was pretty proud of himself for slipping the painkillers into Amelia's drink at night time when Amelia wouldn't give up the studies. Alicia told him that he was a creep for doing it and he said his parents did to him when he broke his leg as a kid and couldn't swallow the tablets.

Alicia knew she should have told Boylan 'no' but then she couldn't seem the harm in knocking the girl out for 9 hours so she could get some sleep. She would now have to inform him to stop dosing Amelia as the last thing they needed was for Amelia to have an overdose. She had yet to have a proper conversation with Taylor and didn't need him getting in her face for Amelia ending up in the infirmary due to an overdose. They had yet to have a proper face to face but she knew when they did it was going to be volatile which was probably why they were avoiding one another.

She had only seen him when she sent her report and knew it would take him at least a week to read through it all before he'd call her in but Jim had come and seen her to tell her that she now had her bank funds had been returned to her. He also brought a bag with the rest of her clothes with him like a peace offering. Which she happily accepted as she had missed her jackets, vests and skinny jeans among the other civilian clothing she had brought through the portal.

They talked for awhile on the front porch as Amelia was asleep on the lounge at the time. He told her of everything that had happened and Taylor while she was gone. She listened while her blood that had boiled at their betrayal of leaving her out in the jungle slowed to a simmer as Jim told her Taylor had been devastated by her demise but she knew it wouldn't last as she and Taylor would have it out and tempers would rise as they always did when Alicia and Taylor ever talked about anything personal.

Jim had left to go to work but not without giving her and Amelia an open invitation to come over to his house for dinner. They hadn't gone over as Amelia had been hell bent on studying and was incredibly self conscious of how people felt about her an didn't want to leave the house or hear about what they were thinking. Alicia didn't blame her as she heard what people were saying and when a person was injured they tended to be more fragile emotionally. Alicia wasn't going to force Amelia into a happy family dinner or any social event until Amelia was ready but it didn't mean she wouldn't nudge Amelia and remind her there was a whole colony out there with sunshine and people who will eventually become her friends. Once they got over the novelty of her.

"Anyway in two weeks we will start rehab for your hand. Until then just keep doing what you're doing now" Elisabeth said as she saved the scans to Amelia's medical file.

"Nothing" Amelia said not liking the fact that she couldn't do anything as she really wanted to get back to being active again before she became too lazy and soft.

"Exactly" Elisabeth told her with a smile.

"Great" Amelia said dryly.

"Look at the bright side you and Boylan will have some more quality time on the couch" Alicia said.

"Yay" Amelia said mockingly as she hopped off the bed. She actually didn't mind watching TV with Boylan he always talked through a show commenting on the characters and the looks they shot one another. He told her all about the 'Love Sparkles' the twinkle one gets in their eyes when they see the person they are in love with. So every time the boy met the girl of dreams vice versa he'd say 'There goes the love sparkles again'.

Amelia was lying on the lounge watching some 22nd century soap drama when a knock sounded at the door. Alicia had gone to help Boylan fix the power couplings to his bar which were acting up. Apparently since Boylan was Taylor's least favourite person in the colony it meant his repairs were always last. Amelia got off the lounge and walked to the door and opened it to find a girl who looked roughly her age but she was taller around 5'6 with dark brown hair and the brightest smile Amelia had encountered in the colony so far.

"Hi! I hope I'm not disturbing you or woke you up" She said her brow furrowed in concern and slight embarrassment as she shifted a large basket of goods in her arms.

"No, I was awake" Amelia said as she ran a hand through her hair knowing it was a mess as she had been taking a nap an hour ago.

"Oh Good, I'm Maddy Shannon by the way. I know this is late and all since you've been here for like a month or more but I thought I'd drop by and give you a 'Welcome to Terra Nova' care package!" She said as she presented the basket to Amelia. Amelia looked down at the basked and saw an assortment of baked goods and fresh fruit along with some clothing.

"Wow" Amelia said.

"Yeah there's food and some clothing which was mine but I never wear them and don't think it's charity or anything like that because I was going to trade them in for new clothes but I overheard Mom and Dad talking about how you didn't have a lot of gear and figured you could have them or trade them or whatever" Maddy rambled nervously. She looked over Amelia's shoulder for a second and became slightly distracted.

"Thank you" Amelia said as she looked over her shoulder to see Maddy was looking at the plex screen that was still playing the episode of the soap drama.

"Oh I love that show. Drumming Days is totally my guilty pleasure. What episode are you upto?" Maddy asked her in an excited tone it was obvious Maddy was a fan of the show the way her eyes lit up.

"Umm Episode 6, Season 1, do you want to come in and watch it with me?" Amelia asked her.

"Really?" Maddy asked.

"Yeah, it's least I can do considering you made me this basket" Amelia said Alicia was always telling her to make friends her own age and since this girl had made such a large basket of goods and appeared to be friendly. Why not?

"Sure, I'm supposed to be studying but it can wait I haven't seen this show since I got here. Our family doesn't have a plex screen and even if it did I'd never get to watch it without my brother and Dad teasing me for it" Maddy said as Amelia moved out of the way to give Maddy entrance to the house.

"Thanks for the help" Boylan said to Alicia as they stepped up to the front porch of his house.

"You're welcome, so what's dinner?" Alicia asked him as she opened the door, she and Boylan stopped for a moment to take in the scene before them. Amelia and Maddy were on the lounge giggling like two teenage girls while they watched some popular soap show from 22nd stopped watching and turned to Boylan and Alicia.

"Hey" Amelia said from her seat.

"Oh hi Mr Boylan and Lt Washington" Maddy said with a wave as she didn't move.

"Hi Maddy, I take it this basket here is for everyone" Boylan said poking around the contents of the large basket on the table.

"I highly doubt you got the legs to pull off this number" Alicia said dryly as she pulled out a casual grey zipper front dress from the basket and held it up.

"I don't know, I don't think you're ready to see my legs in all their naked glory and splendor. But I was leaning more towards taking a tasty pastry than updating my wardrobe." Boylan joked as he winked in the girls who laughing at the two of them. Alicia folded the dress up and placed it on the table as Boylan stole a pastry and sat down at the table. Alicia moved to stand behind the lounge and knelt down so she was head level with the girls.

"What are you two watching?" Alicia asked.

"It's Drumming Days. It was the highest rating soap drama in 2149" Maddy told her.

"It's not too bad, we are upto the part where Jodi's boyfriend Breyden has been attack and left for dead outside of a dome. Meanwhile Jodi is having it off with his best friend Pete who orchestrated Breydon's would be demise so he could finally have Jodi all to himself" Amelia added.

"Right, I'm going to have a cup of tea do you two want anything to drink?" Alicia asked.

"No thank you" Maddy said.

"I'm good thanks" Amelia said as she and Maddy turned back to watching the plex screen. Alicia looked to Boylan and they shared a look of agreement that it sounded ludicrous and like a horrible show but each to their own. She did however like that Amelia had found a new friend in Maddy Shannon and the two seemed to getting along well as they talking about where the story was going to wanting the fashion the female characters were wearing. It was good that things were starting to change for the better as Maddy would help Amelia get out more and with people around her own age. Alicia felt her comm. unit buzz in her pocket and pulled it out to read the message and sighed as it was from Taylor. He wanted to see her in his office tomorrow morning in uniform, she was being called back to duty.

* * *

_TBC~Cya in a few days with more :-)_


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait but here it is! I hope you enjoy and big thank yous to the reviews! They always make me smile :-D  
_

* * *

Chapter 13

"Wow you look different" Amelia said as Alicia stepped into the living area with BDU pants, black ¾ sleeve top and a leather vest on. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail a far cry from how she usually wore it which was loose around her shoulders.

"I have a meeting with the Commander" Alicia said as she couldn't understand why she felt so uncomfortable in her uniform. It felt almost foriegn as she hadn't worn it in months and she no longer felt the reasons for why she wore the uniform proudly. It didn't feel like her anymore which scared her as her whole life had been in the military.

"So this is your work look?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, sometimes I relax and have a low bun but only on Fridays" Alicia said dryly. Amelia chuckled. "What are you doing today?" Alicia asked as she picked up Amelia's empty glass and took it to the sink and refilled it with water and pulling the bottle of pain killers from the top drawer of the kitchen to retrieve Amelia's morning allotment before handing them to the girl to take.

"Maddy is taking me on a tour of the colony" Amelia said as she took the two dinosaur shaped pain killers. She still felt the side effects of the pain killers but not to the same extent while she did get fuzzy in the head she was still coherent to have decent conversation and found her emotions were rocky with them as she was either happy or a complete puddle of tears. Luckily the puddle of tears moments were only early in the morning and late at night when she laid in bed and had too much time to think about everything and the nightmares that haunted her. Most of the time they weren't of Hooper but of her old life.

It was like she drifted and blinked and her nightmare was that she'd wake up in her old house and room, the scariest part was that it felt real to her and she would go through the normal motions of her average day back home and see her family only to blink and open her eyes to being in her room in Boylan's house. Tears would just fall of their own volition as she would remember with such clarity every detail of her home and her mother and brother and what they said to her only to be back in Terra Nova without them. Alone and upset as both realities felt equally real to her. The hardest was wishing the dream were the reality only to know it wasn't and it would never be.

"That should be fun" Alicia said in a light tone as she was trying to push Amelia to be more active in the colony. She knew the girl was miserable, that she was still crying at night but until Amelia was ready to talk about it there wasn't much Alicia could do as she didn't want to push Amelia into talking. So she would just gently prodded her and hoped Amelia would come to her when she was ready or work it out on her own.

"Yeah hopefully and anyway I should get out of the house. Vitamin D and all that junk" Amelia said dismissively with a smile.

"That junk… well I've gotta go. I'll see you at dinner" Alicia said with a chuckle.

"Have fun!" Amelia joked in a light tone, Alicia smiled as she gave a wave and left the house. Amelia jumped up from her chair at the table as she noticed the time and went to her room and quickly changed into her 'outside' clothes and make herself presentable.

* * *

Alicia squared her shoulders and knocked on the closed doors of the command centre. She heard Taylor say a gruff 'come in' and readied herself donning a neutral expression before she opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Keep the doors closed" Taylor told her as he was looking at a plex, she closed the doors and stood in front of his desk in a relaxed military stance. After a moment he placed the plex to the side and looked her over before gesturing for her to sit. Alicia sat down and their eyes locked for a moment as if they were assessing one another for changes and differences as they hadn't had the chance to properly do so.

"Interesting read" Taylor remarked gesturing to the plex, she assumed he was referring to her report. Alicia remained silent not giving him any feedback verbal or non verbal. Taylor sat back in his chair. "Wash, I need you back on duty as my second A.S.A.P. but I have my concerns"

"Permission to speak freely?" Alicia asked as she sat in the chair with a ramrod straight back.

"when have you ever needed it?" Taylor asked with an amused smile as she only asked permission to speak freely when she was about to be snide. Yet right now she was incredibly formal.

"I feel I do now" She said

"Go ahead" He said with a wave of his hand opening the floor to her.

"You don't need me, you and Shannon appear to have everything completely under control. I'd just be a third wheel and honestly I don't want to return to duty" Alicia said she was amazed at how easy the words just fell from her lips as she had always thought giving up the military would be the hardest most heartbreaking decision to make of her life.

"What do you mean you don't want to return to duty? you're a soldier" Taylor said as he sat up in his chair his eyes narrowing in anger and betrayal at her decision. As if her refusal was like a rejection of him personally. He watched as Alicia's eyes grew cold with fury and her body became tense.

"I was a soldier. When you put that empty coffin in the ground and stuck a cross on and put my tags on it was when the soldier you proclaim me to be died. You would have left me to be a prisoner for the rest of my life if Carter didn't come grovelling to you" Alicia told him as she felt the rage that had been twisting in a tight knost in chest for the last few months began to unfurl on it's own volition as Taylor just assumed she'd jump back into work and pretend he didn't abandon her.

"I watched you get shot, I thought you were dead" Taylor said quietly as he knew she was angry about them mistaking her for dead, that the decision not to pursue the sixers and phoenix soldiers was on him as he was the commander. He made the tough decisions.

"You're son missed, I was concussed by the blast as it narrowly missed my head and you would have known that if you bothered to retrieve my remains. But no, you left me to rot out in that jungle. What happened to 'We never leave a soldier behind'?" Alicia asked with venom.

"I wanted to-" he started but Alicia cut him off as she threw hands up in the air and rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah the excuses. You had a colony to rebuild, civilians and soldiers to rally right? It's all about priorities and I was the fool for months thinking you'd come for me. God! I was such an idiot to think after years of loyalty and service to you that it would count for something!" Alicia hissed at him, he was grateful she wasn't shouting down the Command centre but at the same time he wished she could shout at him as it would be far more cathartic than how they were conversing now. He felt all the twisted up hate and anger in her as it had months to rotten inside of her as she continued to vent.

"You want to tell me how you need me and missed me? Yet you did fine without me and hell you even replaced me! It makes me realise I rank pretty damn low in your eyes as my 20 years of distinguished service to my country and you, my fruit salad of medals and commendations were replaced by some no-name narcotics detective who is also an escaped felon from Golad prison and an illegal immigrant to Terra Nova. Was the ground where I'm supposed to resting even settled before you gave Shannon the promotion to your XO?" Alicia asked him. Taylor reeled at her last comment for a moment before he spoke, this time he feed off her anger as he was offended by her accusations.

"How dare you! Half the colony was either destroyed or on fire when the sixers and the phoenix soldiers left. If I had the slightest hint that they had you alive or dead I would have gone after you but no one could confirm what happened to you. You think I was sitting here cosy and happy passing out work orders and promoting Shannon? Well I wasn't. I spent months grieving for you, you're my oldest and closest friend I have. I wished so many nights that I could have traded places with you. So don't you dare patronize me about how I acted just because I couldn't leave a colony undefended to chase a half ass chance that I could bring you home" he told her.

* * *

Maddy and Amelia were aimlessly walking as they had spent the last hour walking around with Maddy showing off the major sights that were relevant to Amelia which apparently weren't that many and the fact that most of the sites were packed together in one area of the Colony did make the tour short. Amelia liked Maddy, they had a lot in common with studying fanatically to favourite TV shows the only differences beside the obvious of physical appearance and some personality traits was that Amelia studied not out pleasure as Maddy did who had a thirst for knowledge. No, Amelia studied out of necessity to prove herself, to prove she could accomplish top grades. A drive her mother installed into her from birth. Amelia couldn't be someone who had a listless life.

"Oh my god I nearly forgot to show you the probe!" Maddy said as they passed a small garden with a large metal and stone sculpture as a centre piece. Maddy walked to the sculpture and pointed up. "This Probe-" She started.

"Was sent through the fracture and we found out that you can stop on any bug you want and no worries about affecting the future isn't that right Maddy? I'm Josh by the way" the guy asked who appeared from nowhere with Skye at his side. He had a lanky 5 ft 9 frame with pale skin and dark brown hair and blue eyes, he smiled mischievously at them and threw a wink at Amelia. Maddy gave an annoyed sigh as she rolled her eyes.

"Not exactly-" Maddy started but Josh cut her off.

"Whatever Madds, you know I came looking for you as Dr Haynes asked me to get you for something" he said pulling a face as the details eluded him. Maddy looked to Skye who gave a shrug indicating she had no clue.

"She did? When?" Maddy asked her eyes going wide in fear. Amelia remembered Maddy telling her about Dr Haynes and how demanding the woman could be.

"About 5 minutes ago… Something about needing your help finding something she can't find or writing something…I don't know she wants to see you." Josh said giving up with trying to remember but it was plain to see Josh was lying through his teeth.

"Great Josh, you couldn't just remember a simple message" Maddy said annoyed at her older brother. She turned to Amelia with an apologetic look "I'm so sorry but I have to go. Dr Haynes is my supervisor and if I don't go she'll fail my apprenticeship" Maddy said apologetically, Amelia waved a dismissive hand.

"It's ok we'll catch up later" Amelia said to her. Maddy smiled relieved she wasn't putting Amelia out with her urgency to get to Dr Haynes.

"Ok cool. I gotta go" Maddy said, she turned around and ran towards the labs. Amelia eyed Josh and then looked at Skye who was standing next to him awkwardly looking at her.

"Hi, I don't if you remember" Skye started but Amelia cut her off.

"No I remember you're Skye and I remember everything you said" Amelia told her as she hated the assumptions people made about her and of Lucas. It was like he was the devil incarnate to the Colony and granted he admitted to her freely what he had done to the colonists to scare her into keeping her distance. It was he who kept giving her the mixed messages as he treated her respectfully and talked to her as if she were his friend than a prisoner. She couldn't quite balance out the two sides of him as she hadn't seen or experience him to be that cruel person people believed him to be. But then she also reminded herself that everyone was capable of cruelty given the right motivation.

"Right, I'm so sorry about what I said the other day. I didn't mean to upset you" Skye said sincerely.

"Apology accepted" Amelia said politely though she only said it in the hopes Skye would leave her alone. Amelia didn't like how Skye could launch into such a personal conversation with her the first time meeting. Amelia was a relatively private person due to her old lifestyle and she didn't want to hear Skye talk about Lucas like he was the scum of the earth when the man had taken care of her.

"And I'm Josh Shannon… Maddy's older brother. Many people don't see the familial resemblance" he said as he introduced himself properly and offered his hand to her. Amelia looked at the hand suspiciously before she took it giving it a firm shake and releasing his hands. He smiled down at her in over friendly manner.

"Right, well it's nice to meet you and see you again but I gotta go" Amelia said to them as she really wanted to get home.

"To the markets with us for lunch?" Josh asked her with a smile, Amelia was sure was meant to be cheeky but didn't quite work for her.

"Josh is buying" Skye added as if it would entice her further.

"I'm not interested but thanks anyway" Amelia said shaking her head and tried to walk away but Josh grabbed her upper arm and in that moment she turned and thought of Hooper just a flash of a memory. Her heart pounded as she reminded herself she in the colony and Hooper was dead and Josh had no similarities to the man except similiar colouring in hair and skin. She looked at the hand and looked at Josh hoping her features didn't betray how panicked she was at him grasping her arm the way he was.

"One lunch as simple peace offering we'll have xiph-kebabs. I'm sure you haven't had them before" Josh said not taking no for an answer or releasing her arm. Amelia contemplated the chances of sporadically vomiting on Josh to get out of Lunch as her stomach was already doing the flips with nausea thanks to the unsettling panic a few moments ago.

"Actually I have. Do you mind letting go of my arm?" she asked him as she took a deep breath she hadn't realised that her tone had been so clipped as he let go of her arm and held his hands up in surrender with yet another over friendly smile.

"Chill there's no need to get all uptight about being taken to lunch. It's one meal and maybe after it you'll realise what awesome people we are and hang out with us" Josh said.

"I really need-"

"One kebab, a girl has got to eat right Skye?" Josh asked Skye who for some reason was looking peeved at Josh's attempts at trying to wrangle Amelia to Lunch.

"That's right, one kebab. come on we can bury the hatchet" Skey said plastering on a smile. Amelia knew she was not going to get out of it so she gave a no of surrender and gesture to the markets.

"One Kebab"Amelia said as she was too tired to argue and figured one meal and it would be over with as she really didn't appreciate him calling her 'uptight' and also had a feeling he'd pester her until the cows came home and she agreed to have a meal with him.

"One Kebab it is!" Josh said. "So tell us all about yourself" he said as he walked in the middle between Amelia and Skye.

* * *

"The situation with Carter, I understand-"

"It's not a 'situation'. He openly loves me and always has, he was there for me. He put his own life before mine every time he picked my broken ass off the ground which is more times than I care to count-" she stopped when she heard a few choice expletives were shouted into the air in a voice that sounded a lot like Amelia's followed by the sound of a hard slap. Alicia was amazed that they could hear the slap but that was until she realised how quiet the outside was.

Taylor hadn't missed it either, they got to their feet and went outside to the balcony and saw that the market that was usually in full swing had stopped to watch the show as Amelia was shouting at Josh who was in shock as the left side of his face was turning a nice shade of red. Skye stood to his side mouth agape in shock before she spoke.

"Hey it was just a joke" Skye told Amelia in a placating tone. Alicia started to move but Taylor grabbed her by the elbow she turned to look at him and he shook his head as if to say 'let it play out'. It was true they could intervene but it wasn't like Amelia was beating the crap out of Josh as it was just one slap.

"No, it was an insult and everything you've both said to me since buying this ugly looking fish stick has been insulting. I have no issues with the 'advance' technology because I'm not some idiot who doesn't know her ass from her elbow! Contrary to popular belief, I am actually quite intelligent. I was top of all my classes, I was given a freaking Golden key before I even sat my HSC! Do you know what that means?" she asked Skye and Josh who looked at her gobsmacked. "It meant that once I finish my degrees and PhD the whole world would have been my oyster. All the doors would open for me. I could have gone anywhere and be whatever I wanted to be but now I'm here where my options are extremely limited by your 'Awesome' Colony" Amelia shouted in a mix of anger and sarcasm. She took a deep breath and looked around her to see the scene she had made as everyone was looking at her.

She couldn't help the anger she had listened to Josh and Skye endlessly amount of insensitive remarks from being stupid and brainwashed by Lucas to how she was in paradise to the point she couldn't help but explode from anger. She couldn't believe she had the anger to lash out but the read hand print on Josh's face was proof.

Soldiers and colonists a like stared gape mouthed at her as they hadn't expected her to have such an outburst which made her even more angry as she hated them all for staring and whisper behind her back like they even knew her. Her body shook with adrenalin and anger.

"Yeah, go ahead and stare like any of you are any better than them. You all want to know what happened?! Hooper was the monster who beat the shit out of me for fun, who smashed my hand and laughed! Not Lucas. Lucas didn't lay a hand on me or force me to do anything! As you keep insinuating." She said looking back at Josh and Skye "And what everyone believes. He took care of me and protected me from the other soldiers as best he could. He never once asked for anything in return. I know what a fucking revelation!? But that's how he was with me. He was honest and trust me I know everything he has done, he made no allusions that he was a good man and I don't know why I am the lucky one but then I don't want to hear your thoughts about Lucas or what you think my experiences with him were. Lucas was courteous and respectful with me and frankly he has more manners and integrity than you two could hope to scrape together in a lifetime. I'm done and I'm tired of being your novelty item. So thank you for lunch. Let's never do it again" Amelia told them, she threw her hands up in surrender as she felt like everything she said was wasted on them. She turned her back and walked away from the market place with her chin high as tears burned her eyes but she refused to cry them.

She was only stopped when Alicia stepped in her way. "I'm not apologising" Amelia told her as Alicia moved to the side and they continued walking. She told herself over and over to not cry and not say how much she hated the colony, at least at the old encamptment she knew her place. In the Colony she was felt like a round peg trying to fit into a square hole.

"Did I ask you to turn around and apologise?" Alicia asked as they walked. Alicia understood that Taylor allowed the melt down as he thought it would be cathartic for Amelia and somehow break the barriers that existed between Amelia and the other colonists as she was the outsider. The outsider who by rumour was intimate with Lucas thus she was tainted goods and would never be fully welcomed or trusted as she didn't have complete allegiance to Taylor.

"No" Amelia said as her throat hurt from the lump of a sob wanting to escape.

"Exactly you're nearly 18 which is an adult thus you'll have to suffer the repercussions for swearing loudly in public. I had no clue you had such a foul mouth" Alicia said, Amelia shot her a dark look as she didn't find it amusing. "Taylor wasn't impressed but you showed a real back bone out there" Alicia added, Amelia could swear Alicia was proud of her for shouting at the townspeople along with slapping Josh and shouting at him and Skye.

"So will I be fined or punished whatever you want to call it?" Amelia asked as it all sunk in that she had made possibly the biggest scenes of her life. Worse than the scene she made at ballet when she was 5 and the kids made fun of her Jem and the Holograms backpack thus making her not want to go to Ballet. She had kicked up the biggest protest but her mother was adamant she was going even if Amelia went kicking and screaming.

"No, it'd be a bit rich considering that it's your first offence and he's cursed fouler words in public. Though not as loudly" Alicia said with a chuckle.

"I couldn't help it. I told him to shut up and he just kept prodding and prodding and I got louder and angrier. It was not my finest hour" Amelia said now as the adrenalin wore off and mortification settled in.

"It's ok, I'm sure you'll forever be remember for that moment" Alicia assured her.

"Great, thanks! that's just super supportive" Amelia told Alicia in a sarcastic tone. Alicia smiled as she patted Amelia on the back.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Taylor came up the stairs to the command centre the next morning at 5am and was surprised to find Amelia sitting on the bench next to the main doors. She was reading a plex as she tapped an impatient foot, he wondered how long she had been waiting for him, she was in desert camo cargo pants he knew Alicia procured from storage as they had a stock pile of varying camouflage BDU's for the soldiers the desert camos were the least touched. She also wore a navy fitted long sleeve hoodie. her honey brown hair hung loose around her shoulders in loose natural waves.

"Miss Jones" Taylor said in greeting. Amelia looked up from her plex and gave a closed smile as she looked nervous if not a little wary.

"Good Morning Commander" She said in greeting.

"Good Morning, what can I do for you?" he asked as he opened the doors to the Command Centre. He prefered to keep an open door so people felt free to come to him. He noted the staff already inside waiting to do handover of what happened during the night to him along with anything pertinent that needed to processed before the next night shift.

"I was wondering if I could make an appointment to talk with you" She said in a formal voice, Taylor's lips quirked into a faint smile as he wasn't used to such formality as most people just messaged him for a meeting time on his comm. or plex.

"Why don't you come in and take a seat? I just have do deal with change of shift then you'll have my undivided attention" He said as he pushed the door open and gestured for her to go in. Amelia got up from the seat and moved into the command centre. She took a seat at the guest chair opposite the desk with the dinosaur skeleton head under it as Taylor had gestured to it.

She patiently waited as he talked with soldiers in the room in hushed tones. She looked at the giant dinosaur head under the table and idly wondered if he found the head rotting in the jungle and decided to clean it up and use it or actually went out and hunted around the different species and picked the dinosaur he felt had a head that was just the perfect size.

"What do you want to talk about?" Taylor asked as he had cleared the room of soldiers and took a seat behind his desk. Amelia looked up from the dinosaur skull to Taylor.

"Lucas" Amelia said. Taylor closed his eyes for a second before opening them, he wanted to show her he had patience and respect for her. Since her outburst yesterday had made him painfully aware that he'd been lacking them with Alicia and would need them in dealing with Amelia as she was a firecracker. The only reason he hadn't stepped in was that he felt the girl needed to show the others she had a back bone and would stand up for herself. Of course he would have stepped in if she had taken her rant too far or attack someone. A slap was attention grabbing and it hurt like hell but no one died from it. Hell, if anyone needed a good slap it was Josh thanks to the dramas he stirred in the colony over his first year in the colony.

"Look I've already made my position clear on the subject" He said carefully. The truth was while he wanted to deny his son any privileges he could so he knew he was being punished on the other hand he was also incredibly curious as to their relationship. Taylor always felt that Lucas shut people out of ego that he was far too intelligent to be socialising with 'ordinary' people but he prefered to think that Lucas only made it appear that way and just had walls set around him that kept him safe from getting close to anyone to avoid the pain of loss. Like it was a coping mechanism since the death of his mother. So he felt curious as to how one girl could give Lucas a sense of responsibility and the drive to care after many years where Lucas had been solely focussed on everything to do with the portals and twisted revenge.

"I know you think I'm suffering some form of Stockholm syndrome but I'm not-"

"Why?" Taylor asked cutting her off.

"Sorry?" Amelia asked confused.

"Why do you want to see him?" Taylor asked her. Amelia took a moment to calm her jangle nerves as the Commander's steady gaze on her was unsettling not too mention she had the smallest breakfast and her painkillers were making her head swim as she was exhausted and been up since 4am as she had another unsettling dream.

"I'm trying hard to adapt into your way of life but everything is a mess-"

"Oh I know I saw the mess you made yesterday. You've only been here a month and the first time you're out in public not hiding behind Alicia's skirts. You slap the Sheriff's son and shout a few foul words and inform everyone in not so many words how ungrateful you are of their attention and to be in this colony" Taylor said with an amused smile. There were days when he wished he could do the same but military protocol didn't leave a lot of wiggle room to show such a display of emotions.

"If you were in my shoes and didn't have your title and uniform to hide behind you'd have the guts to tell those spoiled people to get over themselves but then you probably like how they believe the sun shines out your ass" Amelia said the words came out on their own volition and as soon as she realised what she said her eyes went wide with shock and she slapped a hand over her mouth. Taylor laughed as it sounded like something Wash would have said to him.

"I'm sorr-" She started.

"Don't be, you're on pain killers and in a foul mood I'll let some slurs slide as it's not easy being the new kid in the colony especially with the circumstances in which you came to us in. You have plenty of time to redeem yourself" Taylor said and it was true she wasn't the first person to have an outburst in public or the last. He just hoped she was the last to shout profanity so loudly as a lot of mothers didn't appreciate such language being used around their children.

"Look, I had my outburst of horrible behaviour. I'm not like that, I'm not someone who causes trouble. That's the first time I've ever shouted and caused a scene in my life. I now it doesn't make it ok and I'm not going to make a habit of it but I'm used to anonymity and not having people stare at me and whisper about me like I'm a novelty. When I was a prisoner, Lucas made me feel like I am equal to him that even given the differences and the situation. I just want to feel like that again like I'm not some tragic victim. That I'm just like everyone else" Amelia said with a sigh.

Taylor sat back in his chair. He felt for the girl as her words were true, most people felt sorry of her including himself. So he could see why she would want to latch onto anyone who didn't treat her that way. So he weighed his options as he could just say 'no' just to continue to keep the tough position on punishing Lucas as those in the Colony would see but the other hand Lucas hadn't made the slightest infraction. THe did his work, didn't complain and kept the house clean. The only thing he did ask about on a regular basis was how Amelia was. He never asked to see as he probably felt he was pushing his luck asking for updates on the girl. The fact that Amelia wanted to see Lucas Perhaps one visit couldn't hurt and then he would be able to see how they interacted so he could understand what it was between them.

"Ok, I'll allow you to visit him" Taylor said as he sat up making his decision. Amelia blinked and looked at him not sure she had heard him correctly.

"Really? When?" She asked him.

"Today but I want it understood this is a trial period of visiting privileges. It will be weekly and it'll be for half an hour non negotiable. I also reserve the right to revoke the privileges without having to explain myself" He told her.

"My mother would call that the perks of being the boss" Amelia said dryly like she couldn't see Taylor ever explaining himself to anyone.

"Exactly" Taylor said as he gave a closed lipped smile.

* * *

Lucas sat in his 'office' and stared at the large plex board as he did day in and out for the past month or what felt like eternity as he had made zero progress. Sure he pretended when his father around to look like he was working. He had input all of his calculations into the plex board but that was it. He heard the front door open and didn't bother to move as he knew his father probably forgot something and come home to collect it.

"Son" Taylor called out, Lucas sighed as he was probably being conscripted into the search for whatever his father had lost. He got up from his chair and walked out to the living area and stopped in his tracks as he saw Amelia standing next to Taylor. He had imagined her being the house so many times to visit her that the reality had him completely at a loss. She was different from how he remembered her but in a good way as she looked healthier, she had regained her weight she had lost and her hair was longer as it was loose around her shoulders. He saw her hand was in a brace but the fingers all looked in the right order and not disfigured which was a good sign.

"You have half an hour" Taylor told Amelia as he left the house. He watched Lucas for another moment before silently leaving the house. Amelia pulled nervously on the cuff of her long sleeve jumper to cover her right hand as she noticed Lucas looking at her hand.

"You're staring" Amelia told him with a nervous smile as they hadn't been in the same room for over a month.

"Sorry, come in and take a seat. Can I offer you something to drink?" Lucas asked as he remembered his manners and gestured to the dining table.

"A cup of tea would be nice" Amelia said as she took a seat at the dining table. She watched as Lucas pottered around the kitchen never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd see Lucas Taylor making her tea or doing anything so domestic as being in a house.

"I hope you don't mind green tea it's all my father drinks" Lucas said as he held up the container.

"Perfect" Amelia said, she tried not to stare at him but couldn't help herself as he had changed since she last seen him, he still had the stubble and the same build but his skin was paler than she remembered most probably from the lack of being outdoors and in the sun as he used to be. "So how are you?" Amelia asked making conversation.

"I'm well and you?" he asked as he brought over two cups and pot to the table and sat down opposite her. "You look good" he told her.

"Thanks" Amelia said blushing from the comment as compliments from Lucas were rare and she felt she looked horrible and wished she had a different outfit on and had slept a decent 8 hours and wasn't slightly high on her pain killers.

"So how is your recovery going?" Lucas asked.

"Slowly, my hand will take sometime but Doctor Shannon believes I'll regain 70% if not more of my finer motor skills. I'm also on these wicked pain killers in the shape of dinosaurs and they make me run my mouth so you're warned as I'll probably say something stupid or insulting in the next hour" Amelia told him, Lucas tilted his head to the side and looked amused and curious.

"Care to give me an example of what I might look forward to?" he drawled wondering what classified as 'insulting' in Amelia's world.

"I told your father that I think he enjoys the fact that everyone thinks the sun shines out of his ass." Amelia told him, Lucas laughed as he wished he had been in the room when it happened. Amelia made a face as her cheeks grew a lovely shade of pink from embarrassment. "It was really embarrassing. I thought he was going to reprimand me or I don't know toss me out the gates." Amelia told him.

"What did he do?" Lucas asked out of curiosity as he placed two cups on the table as the kettle boiled the water ready for the teapot.

"Laughed and allowed me a free pass which I should be grateful for since he still hasn't called me up on the spectacular meltdown I had in the main square yesterday but he probably did it out of pity than anything else" Amelia said making a face as she didn't like how she had acted the yesterday.

"Why did you have a meltdown?" he asked with concern for her.

"Skye and Josh were getting on my nerves about you and how I'm stupid I am because I have to learn how to use the technology in the colony which for the record I didn't. But it just grated on me because they were acting like they were superior to me and doing me a favour for 'taking me under their wing'" Amelia scoffed as she rolled her eyes. He could see Amelia was still angry and upset by the whole event as she just shook her head and sat back with a sigh. "So what about you?" Amelia asked wanting to deflect the conversation from her.

"I've been here, working in my cage" Lucas said dryly.

"It's a lovely cage" Amelia remarked mockingly.

"true it is far more comfortable than the brig which is just a hole in the ground under the command centre" Lucas said with a shrug as he tended to the boiling kettle and made the tea.

"Cosy" Amelia said dryly.

"Mmm at least my father didn't live in it with me" Lucas drawled as he moved to the table and placed the teapot on the table knowing it needed a few minutes to steep.

"Is it really that bad. Your relationship with him?" Amelia asked the question slipped out on it's own volition. Alicia had explained what she knew of Lucas and Taylor's relationship and Lucas had said his motivations for what he did but not the real reasons but then Amelia had been afraid to ask as talking about a deceased family member was never easy. Lucas grew distant and his expression dark at the question and Amelia knew she had made a mistake.

"Don't answer that, forget I even asked. Tell me did you hang all your calculations up on the walls like your old place?" Amelia asked hoping he'd let her previous question slide. His expression lightened as he gave a slight shake of the head.

"No, my work was scanned into the database and the papers recycled. I now have my own office with everything I could possibly need. A plex board, several plexs and access to the 'eye' when I need it" he said with a wry smile as he had everything he could possibly need to finish the work which he always dreamed about only to find himself with the physicist's equivalent of writer's block not that he'd admit it to Amelia as he couldn't takt the chance she would tell someone and word got back to his father.

"The 'eye'?" Amelia asked.

"It is a large computing and holographic interface device which was made to hold an inordinate amount of information. Anything you can think of it is in its database." Lucas told her.

"Anything?"

"Anything that was electronically stored from the age of computers until 2150 as the Eye connects to Hope Plaza when the portal is open and is updated" Lucas explained to her.

"Wow, so I could find my brother's facebook page?" Amelia asked with a smile as she propped her head up with her elbow and looked at him over the table.

"I don't know. What's a facebook page?" Lucas asked, Amelia looked at him like she was scandalised by what he said.

"If you were from my time you'd be consider a luddite" Amelia told him with a laugh as she enjoyed the fact that some social networks died in her century as she felt facebook was a curse to her life. It was great for catching up with her brother and some old friends but it always made her feel like her life was a spectator sport.

"There's a term I haven't be called before" Lucas replied as he enjoyed her smile.

"So can I see this office that has everything while the tea is cooling down to a drinkable temperature?" she asked, Lucas gave a nod and stood up from his chair and gestured to her to follow him to the room that was his office, within all of six steps they were at his office. He slid the door open and stepped to the side watching as Amelia walked into the room and looked around the room.

"Well it definitely is missing the feel of your old place" she said throwing a smile over her shoulder at him. She quietly admitted to herself that while her first impression of his tree bungalow was that he was a complete madman after a while she liked the chaos of it all and the clutter. This room lacked the chaos and the clutter as there were a few plexs lying on the desk nearby with his tiny portal models and the purple box but that was it. There was also a chair that sat in front of a large plex board that took up most of the wall which had calculations drifting across screen at a slow pace.

"Yes, I miss the tactile sensation of writing on paper and placing it on the walls too" Lucas told her.

"Yeah no paper system is great until the promethium cores blow and then all your work is gone or at least that's what I'm told" she said as she took a seat in the chair and looked at the board mesmerised by the scrolling of the calculations.

"Have you continued your studies?" Lucas asked as he leaned against the door frame and looked at her.

"No, I've been too zonked and I studied for my 'test' to see what level of schooling I'm at and that was interesting" Amelia admitted pulling a face to say it was the opposite of interesting.

"It was?" he asked prompting her to talk as he really had nothing to share but wanted to hear what she had been up to and doing in general.

"I haven't gotten my results but if these facial expressions are anything to go by" She pulled faces of someone who was shocked and not sure how to tell someone they were doing terribly as she replicated the looks the teachers gave her. He could see why she was upset about it if she did get those reactions. She worked hard to be the best and it was difficult for someone like her to go from being the top of the class to the bottom. He'd be upset if he were in her shoes.

"Then I'd say not well" Amelia said in a self deprecating manner and a sardonic smile before turning back to the board.

"I highly doubt that" he said as he folded his arms. Amelia challenge him or say anything as she pulled her knees and hugged them to her chest and looked at the Plex board that was still on with the calculations floating across them as a distraction. He could feel her despondency at her inabilities or what she felt were inabilities of exceeding expectations, of forever being an outcast, the grief of losing her old life and everyone and thing in it. These emotions all seeped out of her and he found it hurt to know she was in such a state where he couldn't say or do anything to ease her pain.

"Amelia, why did you come to see me today?" Lucas asked, Amelia released her legs and placed her feet on the ground and turn in her chair to face him. She bit her bottom lip in thought and hesitation before she spoke.

"Honestly, with exception of Alicia and couple of other people in the colony" Amelia started she looked at the ground and took a moment. He could see her eyes were filling with tears and mentally kicked himself for asking the question. "You can tell me how you're a horrible person who did horrible things but it won't change that you took care of me when I got here. That you treat me with respect, you talk to me like we are on the same level even though you are wildly more intelligent than me and honestly I missed you. I missed our time together. I would have come sooner but I was completely off my face on pain killers and miserable" she admitted with a closed smile and gave a shrug as she blinked away the tears. Her cheeks were burning red with embarrassment at what she had admitted and nearly breaking down again.

Lucas wasn't sure of how to respond in his mind he understood what she was saying but on the other hand he had been her captor. It wasn't the healthiest of relationships as he had held all the power and now it was like their roles were reversed as she had freedom to walk around free and live her life while he was a prisoner. Not her prisoner so it wasn't a complete role reversal but he still had the limitations of being a prisoner. He wasn't sure what she wanted from him. An awkwardness settled between them for a moment as he didn't know what to say. He was made painfully aware of how his social skills were severely lacking and how he wished once again that he did know how to respond. Luckily Amelia spoke before he could find the right words.

"Look you were good to me, I'm not asking for anything but to just have tea with you and talk or not talk. I just want to be in your company" Amelia told him plainly and once again her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as she was embarrassed for admitting she liked his company what he inferred from what she said. She looked at him hoping he would speak instead of just watching her.

"That tea should be the right temperature for drinking now. Shall we?" Lucas asked he held out his right hand so she would use her left hand to help her out of the chair. Not that she needed the help but just because he wanted to hold her hand. Amelia shyly smiled as she placed her hand in his and allowed herself to enjoy his chivalry.

* * *

TBC~ Cya all next update!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15.

"You're in a good mood" Alicia commented as she sat up from the lounge and looked to the kitchen where Amelia was standing as she placed a bag on the counter and was humming to herself. She looked relaxed as she smiled at Alicia. A true smile not the one she slapped on to placate Alicia and Boylan when they stirred her.

"Yeah, I got free pie" Amelia told her, her smile brilliant for once.

"All it takes is free pie?" Alicia asked in disbelief as she could have bought Amelia pie anytime.

"No, I also saw Lucas today" Amelia said carefully as she awkwardly lifted the pyrex container from the bag with her good hand and placed it in on the bench.

"Lucas made you pie?" Alicia asked slightly confused and wondering if the pie was related to Amelia finally being able to visit with Lucas as well. She got off the couch and walked over to the island bench and stood on the other side opposite to look at Amelia who laughed as she pulled out two forks and placed one in front of Alicia.

"No, I was walking by the markets on my way back when Lisa stopped me and gave me this pie for making yesterday the most entertaining lunch she's had in a while. I was kind of insulted until she said that it wasn't everyday Josh Shannon got slapped and that was what she found it impressive as Josh still has my hand print on his face. I figured it would be rude not to take the pie" Amelia said with a shrug.

"Yeah definitely from Lisa the old woman makes the best pie and she has a wicked sense of humour" Alicia told her as Amelia didn't bother going to the trouble of cutting a slice and putting it on a plate to eat no she just dug in with a fork. Alicia followed suit as she couldn't be bothered rocking the boat.

"Oh wow this is good apple pie" Amelia said after she enjoyed her first bite of the pie.

"I know" Alicia murmured in full agreement as she had missed her monthly indulgent of having a mini fruit pie made by Lisa. She was definitely enjoyed having her luxuries back. "So did you spend all morning with Lucas?" Alicia asked before she took another bite of pie.

"No, just half an hour, the other few hours I was studying outside the Command Centre waiting for Commander Taylor to ask if I could visit with Lucas" Amelia said carefully.

"I'm surprised he would let you see Lucas. How is Lucas?" Alicia asked casually as she didn't show any reactions Amelia had expected. Amelia had expected Alicia to freak out and give her a lecture about never seeing Lucas and completely forgetting him. That she was disappointed in Amelia.

"He's good, it was just really good to see him." Amelia said looking down at the pie as she didn't want to see Alicia's disapproval at Amelia's confession. She wanted to hold onto her small piece of happiness from seeing Lucas and feeling relatively normal for as long as she could.

"That's good" Alicia said there was no disappoint or sigh of a person who disapproved. Amelia glanced up at Alicia who ate another bite of the pie watching her not showing the slightest bit of negative emotion about the situation.

"You aren't going to tell me it's wrong and I should stay away from him?" Amelia asked.

"No, you're adult soon and you are allowed to make your own decisions. Anyway I've learnt that if something or someone makes you happy then you should hold onto it as long as possible. You never know when it's going to turn sour" Alicia said frankly.

"So you approve?" Amelia asked carefully. Alicia made a face that translated to a 'maybe' in Amelia's mind.

"I'm not going to say I approve but I will support you and your decisions and hold the right to snap his neck if he hurts you" Alicia told her, Amelia had been about to reply when someone knocked on the door. "I'll get it" Alicia said as she placed her fork on the bench and went to the door to answer.

She opened the door and was surprised to see Commander Taylor, she looked over her shoulder at Amelia who was equally surprised to see him at their door step.

"Commander" Alicia said in surprise. He looked incredibly uncomfortable and she wondered if it because he was standing on Boylan's front porch or because of her.

"Wash, I was wondering if I could speak with you outside for a moment" Taylor said to her. Alicia gave a nod.

"Sure, don't eat all that pie Amelia" Alicia joked as she stepped outside and closed the door, she motioned for him to take a seat in one of the two deck chairs Boylan had. Taylor took a seat and leaned forward on his elbows, Alicia on the other hand reclined back in her seat with ease as she had no reason to show her usual level of military deportment with him.

She wasn't in uniform and her contract with the military expired the day she was declared dead. Taylor was just the Commander of the colony which meant she only had to show him the courtesy of being polite and nothing more.

"We didn't get to finish our meeting" Taylor said commenting about the debriefing where she felt like every little detail and decision she had made was pulled into question and deemed unacceptable.

"What's the point, you have all the information and I personally don't want to talk about it. I just want to move on with my life" Alicia told him in a matter of factorial manner.

"What about us?" he asked.

"What about us?" She asked incredulously.

"I want you back" he said, she wondered how he made it sound like they were lovers trying to make up for past mistakes. She gave a wry smile as she had fancied herself in love with for many years but knew it would never happen thus resigned herself to the 'friends' and 'colleague' zone she was in.

He was always so good to her and sometimes she felt there was something more but he never made a move and she wasn't going to out of fear of being reassigned to another unit. She held such a torch for him, which made her current situation even more humiliating as she loved Carter but a part of her still held out a hope that Taylor would turn around and want her with the same gusto Carter did. Even now after everything it made her feel like an idiot as she couldn't let go.

"It's funny how you say that and make it have two entirely different meanings" She said wistfully as she looked away from him.

"I don't know what you mean" Taylor said watching her.

"You know I care about you deeply" She confessed as she felt no point in keeping it to herself. She figured if she told him the truth he would back off as he wouldn't want to lead her on.

"I care about you-"

"No, I care more than a lieutenant should for her commanding officer. Always have but never acted on it because you don't feel the same and then there's Carter. I grew up with him, he says he loves me, he shows me, he tells me constantly I never have to question it. But I can't help but feel what I do. So I can't work with you, I'm compromised. I can't be a soldier under your command" She confessed to him completely humiliated to reveal such weakness.

"Ok, I understand what you're saying and while you won't put on the uniform again. I won't give up on getting your trust and our friendship back. I don't want to lose you entirely. Please tell me I have a chance?" he asked her, he knew if he admitted anything more than platonic feelings for her now she wouldn't believe him. There was also the fact she was in a relationship with Carter. Taylor couldn't get in the middle of that even if he was the one keeping Carter imprisoned.

"I need time to think and clear my head" Alicia said with an exasperated sigh as she still wasn't sure after a month of being back what she wanted exactly. She wasn't entirely sure time or thinking would help either but it she had to try.

"So a game of chess next week?" Taylor asked cheekily, Alicia shook her head and tried not smile but failed miserably. He smiled as he knew it would be easy for them to fall into old habits if she allowed him into her life again.

"Maybe in a couple of weeks" she said not able to cut him completely from her life. She wished she could but she couldn't let go of nearly two decades of friendship and camaraderie. Taylor was her family in this place as much as she was his even if he did give up on her.

"Ok, I can settle for that" He said as he got up from his chair and was about to step down from the porch before he turned to face her. "I am sorry that I let you down. You're entitled to your angry and disappointment I should of search for your remains, I should have done a lot of things but I hope we'll be able to put it past us" he said with a sincerity that made Alicia ache.

She gave a nod not trusting her voice and he gave a closed smile before he gave his own nod and walked away. Alicia watched him as he walk away taking the time to stop the rolling emotions inside her before she headed back inside.

* * *

"So they just sent you the results. I thought it took weeks before they came back" Amelia said three days later, her nerves were shot as soon as Alicia told her. She had been trying not to think about it as she didn't want to know how badly she did in the test. But then she did want to know so she would know. She was two days away from seeing Lucas again and the knowledge of that made her happy and a little excited.

"I didn't open the results and I guess they rushed it" Alicia told Amelia with a casual shrug as Amelia stood up from the dining table as she couldn't sit still but then she felt too nervous from standing and sat back down.

"Well come on. Don't leave me hanging here. Tell me the results" Amelia said but then she had a sudden attack of nerves and held a hand up to stop Alicia. "Actually don't, I don't want to know.I mean I can't use my hand yet which means no writing so whats the point?" Amelia continued to ramble as Alicia looked at her incredulously as she opened the file with the results.

"Oh look it's open and the results are right here" Alicia said sarcastically as she held them out to make Amelia stop rambling. Amelia turned and looked at the results and was actually surprised at the score as it was a high number but didn't really know how the scoring system worked. Alicia turned the plex back to face herself.

"You did really well for someone who was high on dinosaur shaped tablets. Actually you scored in the top percentile" Alicia commented as she looked over the results.

"Really?" Amelia asked, Alicia looked up from the screen with a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, you rank third place behind Maddy and Max. Your mathematics and physics scores were outstanding, looks like Lucas's tutoring helped you out. You should be very proud of yourself" Alicia told her with a smile.

"Who's Max?" Amelia asked out of curiosity as she knew the comment about Lucas was bait. That Alicia would tease her relentlessly.

"A boy around your age you wouldn't think he was that bright if you met him but he's pretty switched on when it comes to engineering principles" Alicia said being generous in her opinion of the boy as he was an idiot 90% of the time when it came to being a law abiding citizen and using his common sense but then he was one of the cool kids.

"So what happens now? do I go back to school?" Amelia asked Alicia as she didn't understand the system they had in Terra Nova.

"No you start doing apprenticeships and you decide on what area you'd like to be an expert in and focus your training and skills to that area. Your mentor will help guide you in tailoring your studies to your future career" Alicia said as she tapped through the file to find out who would be taking her on as most department heads and team project leaders were sent the student records so they could submit applications and times that they are available. She frowned as no one had applied for Amelia to apprentice with them.

"What's the matter?" Amelia asked as she saw the frown.

"Some glitch in the file it's not showing some additional information it should. I'll have to talk to Dr Wallace about it" Alicia said with a reassuring smile.

"Ok, should we do it now?" Amelia asked.

"Nah, I'll message Dr Wallace and make an appointment the man hates being interrupted from his research. Maybe he can squeeze in a quick chat before your appointment with Doc Shannon" Alicia said as she sent a quick message to Malcolm before she placed the plex on the dining table and looked at Amelia.

"Ok what are your plans this morning?" Amelia asked as there was a a couple of hours before Amelia's appointment. Today was the day when they would start doing rehab for her hand as they changed the brace.

"I was thinking about seeing Carter, you want to join me?" Alicia asked her as her comm. unit buzzed she picked it up and read the message.

"It's not a conjugal visit is it?" Amelia asked pulling a face, Alicia looked up at her and shook her head.

"No and even if Taylor allowed that I wouldn't invite you" Alicia told her.

* * *

"How are you working out in your new office? Any Progress?" Taylor asked Lucas over a cup of coffee. Lucas wondered why his father had stopped in for coffee in the middle of the morning. Lucas placed down the plex he had been working on and looked at his father.

"Depends will you revoke my privileges if you don't like the answer?"

"No, I only want the truth"

"I've stalled, I can't seem to find the answers I'm looking for" he admitted and his father looked at him surprised by the confession.

"Do you know why?" Taylor asked him.

"I'm too close to the work. I've been working on it for so long I'm starting to miss the finer details. It was why I had Amelia's help" Lucas told him.

"I assume you are trying to get longer visitation privileges" Taylor drawled as he watched Lucas carefully.

"No, I'm not. Perhaps there is someone else in the colony who I could confer with on my work?" Lucas said, while he did enjoy seeing Amelia he didn't want her to waste her time with him. She could live a perfectly happy 'normal' life in the colony instead of half her life indoors with him and the other half ostracised for associating with him.

"I'll ask Malcolm" Taylor said as he wished sometimes he could read minds so he could understand what was going on in his son head as he always felt like he was missing out on half the conversation when he spoke with Lucas.

"It would be appreciated" Lucas said.

* * *

"So you brought a third person for our annual menag-"

"Finish that sentence and I will come in there and kick you so hard in the junk your future grandchildren will feel it" Alicia told Carter. Amelia looked around the barracks that had been coverted into single occupancy with a bed rack, a vanity and toilet three walls were opaque perspex while the door to the cell was clear perspex with a cut out window big enough to pass a tray of food through.

"you mean our grandchildren and that's just cruel. I'm in the slammer, the joint-" Carter stopped as he tried to think of more words, he stood up facing them from behind the barrier looking cocky as Alicia couldn't follow through on her threats as the guards wouldn't open the door up for anyone unless it was an emergency.

"The clink, the pen" Amelia offered Carter clicked his fingers and pointed at Amelia with a smile.

"Ooo I like those ones. You're looking good by the way, got more flesh on you" Carter said smiling at Amelia through the Perspex wall that separated him from them.

"Don't be gross" Alicia told him.

"How is that gross? I was saying she looks healthy which is a good thing if you want gross all you have to do is come in here and I'll show you gross" he said salaciously to Alicia.

"Remind me why I visit you" Alicia said as Carter was so far removed from a gentleman as a man could get.

"Because I have a great ass" Carter said with a wink. Alicia rolled her eyes at him. "So what have you two ladies been upto?" he asked.

"Well I'm unemployed" Alicia told him.

"Taylor let you off the hook and released you from service?" Carter asked in disbelief as Alicia nodded.

"Yeah he did and Amelia here scored in the top ten percentile of her age group" Alicia said Carter looked to Amelia with a teasing smile.

"So there is official proof that you're a smart pants. Should I start calling you 'nerd'?" Carter asked Amelia.

"Wow, Nerd that's so original" Amelia replied dryly with a rolle of her eyes.

"So tell me who has the horror - Sorry I meant the honour of being your mentor?" Carter asked tongue in cheek.

"We don't know yet, but we will find out after we finish here and Alicia talks with Dr Wallace" Amelia told him.

* * *

"What do you mean no one will take her. Her scores are through the roof!" Alicia hissed in a low voice as Amelia and Maddy were chatting with each other at the other side of the room completely oblivious to what Malcolm and Alicia were talking about. Malcolm was peering into a microscope on the opposite side of the lab table to Alicia.

"First off it is one test that grades an individual and while she performed admirably you have to understand from a scientist's perspective she has over 100 years of catching up to do in comparison with a young person her age who has already completed their schooling in our time period and can comprehend what we are working on in here" Malcolm told her.

"Oh really? I heard Hunter nearly unleashed the plague in here last week and didn't Josh release a snake by accident. How fortunate you are to be surrounded by such talent and potential for greatness" Alicia said sarcastically as she folded her arms and looked at Malcolm as she knew he was trying to wriggle his way out helping her get Amelia a mentor.

"You're sarcasm has improved from your jungle jaunt and for the record was a Cincyllic fever for which we have a treatment and the snake was harmless and recaptured the next day" Malcolm said dissmissively. Alicia looked at him with a no nonsense look.

"Lucky you, point being is that girl over there deserves a chance. She is incredibly bright, she worked with Lucas on the calculations after a few weeks of him catching her up to date. So your whole arguement-"

"I'm not arguing with you Leftenant" Malcolm said cutting her off.

"Alicia or Wash, I no longer retain my rank as I was honourably discharged a month ago" Alicia reminded Malcolm as she was sure the whole colony knew that tidbit of news. Malcolm grimaced as he realised his faux pas.

"Sorry, it's habit. Look, no one wants her and I can't order one of my scientist to take her on. It would not work out well and both parties will be miserable" Malcolom told her.

"I don't care, life is about compromises and getting along so you will get her a mentor" Alicia told Malcolm.

"You can't order me around" Malcolm told her, Alicia stared him down with a cold look so he would back down. Malcolm could be confrontational when he needed to be but he chose his opponents carefully. So Alicia would make sure he didn't try and take her on.

"No, but since I'm unemployed I find I have a lot of free time to hang out with all my old friends! Won't be fun, you and me hanging out all day and night while you're in the labs talking and just hanging out?" Alicia asked as she moved around the table so she was standing by his side.

"Really you're going to dedicate your life to annoying me if I don't do this?" Malcolm asked her as he faced her. He wore a smile as he didn't believe she would do it but she smiled back at him.

"That and I'll complain to Taylor and I seriously doubt he'll be happy to hear how your whole department is shunning an incredibly intelligent woman who could become an important asset to the future because you can't afford her the patience and time to catch up with our knowledge" Alicia said somewhat scathingly, that made Malcolm drop his smile and purse his lips and he contemplated his choices.

"Fine, I will take her on as my apprentice. Next week." Malcolm said with a resigned sigh.

"Yes, you're a good man Malcolm Wallace. I will buy you a drink sometime" Alicia told him with a smile as she slapped him on the back. Malcolm gave a slight groan as she had hit him a little too hard.

"Two drinks, now please go away I really want to finish this work without your presence" he told her his lips quirking a ghost of a smile as he was only being half serious. "It is good to see you again" he told her.

"Yet you send me away again" Alicia said sarcastically as she moved away from him.

"Only out of my lab not my life" He told her, Alicia wondered idly if the man was flirting with her but dismissed it quickly as it was Malcolm Wallace the man was in a life-long romance with his work and himself.

"Well it's good to be back. We'll have that drink soon but for now I shall leave you peace" Alicia said as she walked over to wear Maddy and Amelia were talking.

"Hey what are you two talking about?" Alicia asked as the two had hushed up pretty quick on her arrival and looking incredibly guilty like they were hiding something.

"Nothing much, Maddy was telling me about what she is helping Dr Haynes with"

"Uh huh, well come on you have a Doctor's appointment" Alicia reminded her. Amelia gave a nod and said her goodbyes to Maddy and followed Alicia out of the labs and into the infirmary.

* * *

"Ok let's take this brace off" Elisabeth said to Amelia.

"Isn't too soon? It's only been 5 and half weeks. I know we said rehab would start now but wouldn't it be better to wait out the two four days out or something?" Amelia asked as She gave her hand over to Elisabeth. She couldn't understand why her nerves were so wrecked.

"The scans showed all your bones have mended and you've had no infections or prosthesis rejection. All excellent signs that we should start some small exercises to build up the muscles in your hand and test your hand functionality and dexterity" Elisabeth said as she unclipped the brace and took it off Amelia's wrist and place it to the side.

"But I'll still need the brace?" Amelia asked her.

"Yes, you will need to keep your hand and wrist supported until you have regained muscle control. Now I need you to do the following.." Elisabeth continued to talk as she ran through several slow hand movements which Amelia copied. She made a face as her hand struggled to make the slightest of movements. "You're doing well" Elisabeth assured her.

"Really? I can barely move my fingers on my own" Amelia mumbled as she vainly tried to flex her fingers but they wouldn't comply. Her whole hand was incredibly stiff as her muscles had wasted away.

"It's a start, a very good one" Alicia assured her as Elisabeth took Amelia's hands and moved all of Amelia's fingers slowly making sure the joints were in working order.

"It is, I'm impressed with your recovery thus far so don't disappoint me by trying to push yourself. Now I've set a list of approved exercises and activities that you can do with your hand but remember to not over do it and rest your hand" Elisabeth said as she handed the plex over to Amelia to look at.

Amelia read through the list and it wasn't anything to demanding just use her hand like normal, write, pick up light objects etc. and some exercises of just flexing her fingers and so on. She handed the plex back to Elisabeth as she had memorised it all.

"Anything else I should do?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, relax and don't be so hard on yourself" Elisabeth said, Amelia nodded but the words were wasted on her as it was too late. She understood that it would take time but she like every other person who ever been injured was frustrated by the handicap and being patient as she recovered.

* * *

"Malcolm"

"Yes Commander" Malcolm said as he lifted his head up from his work and looked to the commander if it had been anyone else he would have told them he was busy and to go away. But no one dismissed the Commander of the Colony.

"I need you to draw up a list of people to work with Lucas"

"There is no list"

"I only asked you now"

"Yes but there are no other physicists in the colony, the only two we had were killed in the fallout before the Occupation. The only other people I can think of who might be able to work with him are no where near his level and won't work with him and trying to convince them to work with Lucas would be a waste of time" Malcolm told Taylor not even bothering to be polite.

"I don't care if they want to do it or not. I just need the names"

"Why don't you get that girl to work with him. Her mathematic skills and understandings of theorhetical physics and physics in general is quite impressive" Malcolm said as he was already trying to pan Amelia off. Taylor shot him a look that said he was not buying this line of reasoning.

"Find me someone else" Taylor told Malcolm, he didn't wait around for an answer instead he walked away so Malcolm understood the conversation was over and that Malcolm would do what he was told. Malcolm gave a sigh as he pursed his lips.

"Of course, no problem Commander. I'll just pull a fully qualified theorhetical physicist out of my arse. Is tuesday good for you?" he muttered under his breath as he hated it when Taylor did that.

* * *

TBC~ Hope you enjoyed and thank yous for the reviews! will be back with more later :-D


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Thank yous as always for reading and a big thank you to the reviews! Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas/Holiday etc.. As always Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 16

A week later, Amelia stood at Lucas's front door for about 20 minutes just summoning up the courage to knock on the door. She was supposed to be working in the labs with Dr Wallace but he had handed her a small bag and told her to go to Commander Taylor's house and work with Lucas. He had explained to her that the colony needed more physicists and due to her marks it was a 'better fit' for her to work with Lucas. After he explained himself and why he was sending her to Lucas he went back to work.

She wondered if he had been playing a joke on her or trying to get her into trouble when he looked up and told her to go. So she took the bag and left the labs to where she was now wishing she had slept more than 6 fitful hours and didn't feel like death warmed over in her black skinny cargo jeans, baggy calf boots and forest green shirt dress with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

She had even toed and froed whether she would pull her hair out it's messy top bun when she gave an exasperated sigh and knocked on the door. She didn't know why she was so uptight about her appearance when Lucas had seen her at her worst.

She waited for Lucas to open the door and was glad he didn't have guards as they'd probably be sniggering at her female insecurities she had put on display a few moments ago. She looked down at her 'hand me down' boots from Maddy and was glad that she had the comfortable shoes as an alternate to her heavy hiking boots as she could easily slip her feet into them.

The door opened and Amelia looked up at Lucas. He looked surprised to see her as he was dressed in the usual cargo pants paired with a navy shirt she had seen him wear numerous times.

"Amelia" he said as he held the door open but didn't welcome her in. He was surprised to see her at his door, he looked her over out of habit taking in every detail before his eyes met hers. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I-"She started to say but then stopped for a moment and gave a closed smile as she held up a small bag to him with her good hand. "Dr Wallace sent me to give you all this bag of supplies. He also informed me that I am to be working with you and I have a feeling you have no idea what I'm talking about." Amelia said awkwardly as Lucas didn't look like he was expecting her in fact he was looking at her like she was playing a joke on him.

"No, but then no one really tells me anything. I am at the bottom of social ladder here" Lucas told her as he took the bag from her hand.

"Right" Amelia said with a nod "Well Dr Wallace said you required assistance" Amelia said feeling like a complete idiot for hoping it wouldn't be a prank.

"I did ask for help but I thought Dr Wallace would a fully qualified scientist to assist me not you" Lucas said he inwardly winced at how he had insulted her but he didn't know how to word it otherwise.

"Dr Wallace explained to me that my best scores were in Mathematics and Applied Physics which you can only blame yourself for. He also told me that the colony needs more physicists and made it clear it this was the only option for me. I know I won't be able to help you today but you once told me I'd be able to help once I learned everything I needed to know. But if you don't want me then I should just go" Amelia said in a matter factorial manner as she really didn't want to make a big deal out of situation even though she felt like going back to Boylan's place and curling into a ball.

"Don't go. You're here and you have a legitimate reason and permission from Dr Wallace. Please come in" Lucas told her as he waved her in. He didn't want her to go in fact he was secretly glad that Malcolm had sent her as it would be on his head to reason why Amelia was at Taylor's house without permission instead of his father coming down on them.

* * *

Alicia picked up a fresh piece of fruit and tentatively squeezed and sniffed the fruit to test how ripe it was. It was such a pleasure even after a month to return back to Terra Nova and be free to roam around and do ordinary everyday things. The market place was relatively quiet for the morning but then most colonist were at work or in school which was a shame as it was a beautiful autumn day.

"I never know what to do with this fruit" Elisabeth said as she appeared at Alicia's side and picked up another piece of the same fruit inspecting it herself.

"I like to make a fruit salsa with it. Just this chopped up in small cubes mixed with some chillies and basil or mint. It's really good with Gallosaur or the Velociraptor and a mixed green salad" Alicia told her being social able as she gave a Elisabeth a smile in greeting. Elisabeth gave Alicia's idea some thought before giving a nod.

"I never thought about a fruit salsa with dinner. So how's everything going?" Elisabeth replied as she placed the fruit in the basket and picked out a few other items.

"Good and yourself?" Alicia asked as they continued to shop together.

"Good, I was wondering if you'd given my proposition any more thoughts?" Elisabeth asked. Alicia pursed her lips as she remembered Elisabeth offering her a position in the Infirmary as a medical technician.

Not a doctor but still a cut above a nurse, it was for a stepping stone as Elisabeth wanted Alicia to be a doctor but Canzales refused to acknowledge Alicia's credentials and M.D. even though she passed top of her graduating year and had over 20 years of hands on experience with emergency trauma medicine.

Alicia had a sneaking suspicion he was afraid Taylor would promote her to head of the medical department. She wouldn't put it past him as he hated Canzales' pompous attitude about how Terra Nova should have been and how his department should take priority over anyone else's. She also knew Taylor purposefully deferred to Elisabeth as she was more easy going and people friendly.

"I'm not fussed about the title or the pay when I have the experience and qualifications of a tier 4 doctor" Alicia said, she knew it sounded bitchy but she had taken a pay cut to be in the military if she was going to be a civilian she may as well get all the perks. She also had enough money to play hard to get as she wasn't desperate for work.

"If it were up to me I'd give you the title and pay you deserve but while Canzales is in charge it's the best I can offer. The man doesn't even work in the infirmary as he's all about 'research' as people irritate him" Elisabeth said with a sigh as she was the one picking up the slack and working longer hours with little to no overtime pay to make it worthwhile.

"Look I'll do casual shifts but I'm not signing any contracts and you tell Canzales that he has to pay me locum rates as a medical technician" Alicia told her as she wasn't going to anything out of the kindness of her heart for the colony that had more or less abandoned her.

"You strike a hard deal" Elisabeth said with a smile.

"Well I have nothing to gain or lose" Alicia told her.

* * *

"I assume you haven't been studying so looking at the wall is a waste of time" Lucas told her as she stood at the doorway looking at the plex board. Lucas was busy with the small bag of parts Dr Wallace had sent with Amelia. He invited her in and offered a seat but she had declined instead leaning against the door frame to watch him for a few moments under the pretence she was looking at the board.

"Don't you find the moving script nauseating?" Amelia asked Lucas looked up from downloading information from the data chips and changing out blown promethium cores to see she was looking slightly nauseated and wavering on her feet.

"Are you still taking pain meds?" Lucas asked her.

"Does a carno shit in the jungle?" Amelia asked, she covered her mouth as the words had slipped out of her mouth. Boylan was definitely rubbing off on her as she would never be so crass.

"I'm sorry that was kind of rude" Amelia mumbled as Lucas laughed at the momentary outburst. Her cheeks were red from embarrassment as she was not one to swear out loud. "Everyone asks me if I take my meds. It gets annoying" Amelia said.

"How are you feeling in general?" he asked.

"Ok, I guess" Amelia said with a shrug as she walked over to the board not really looking at it but staring into space beyond the screen.

"If you want to tell me what is bothering you it might help" Lucas said Amelia looked at him and for a moment he watched her mind play over the idea of talking to him about whatever was bothering her before she shook her head. He didn't take any offence as it wasn't like he could offer any advice except to listen.

"Talking about it won't help. It's just me being stupid and over sensitive" Amelia said with a dismissive shrug being self deprecating as always as she downplayed her problems. Lucas moved closer to her crowding her as he used to do in the tree bungalow as he liked to see how she would react. She was one of very few people who didn't move away from him, he liked testing her personal space and he had spent years alone in the jungle that he just enjoyed close proximity to another person.

"You are far from stupid as for the latter you have experienced a great deal of pain and suffering in a short time. If you weren't affected, if you didn't feel anything I would be concerned" Lucas told her, Amelia closed her eyes and wished he would take her in his arms as he did so long ago and just hold her. She wanted to feel that same sense of comfort and security he gave her the last time he held her.

"I really don't want to talk about it" Amelia said.

"Some people find it cathartic to talk about things that bother them" Lucas told her

"Do you?" She asked looking at him.

"No, I find immersing myself in this helped but apparently it isn't healthy" Lucas remarked as he had gestured to the calculations. He left out that plotting revenge and acting on it didn't help either in fixing his problems but it had seemed like the right thing to do all these years. Only when they had a foothold in Terra Nova had he realised how empty the success had been which was why he had drunk himself into a stupor every day. Even he felt a slight sense of relief when he failed as it gave a new opportunity to come up with a new plan to assuage his anger. So far nothing had come to mind so he stuck to the original plan not feeling any better or worse. Amelia however did make his world a little brighter with her presence but he did his best not to read too much into it.

"Helped?" Amelia asked as he used past tense. He gave a sardonic smile as he looked down at her.

"Things change, what used to work no longer does so I looked at other things to help me get through the day" he told her.

"Then what helps now?" Amelia asked him, he wore an unreadable expression as he looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"We should get to work before my Father comes home and cracks the proverbial whip" Lucas said not answering the question as he picked a plex and quickly made up a list of prescribed reading. The joys of a eidetic memory was that he could remember his first year and second year text books . He made the list and handed the plex over to Amelia.

"Ok" Amelia said as she took the plex.

"Here take a seat and get comfortable" Lucas said as he pulled up a chair for her and gestured for her to sit.

"Thank you" She took the seat and Lucas left the room for a second before coming back with a stool from the dining table and took a seat he mused that he should move the desk so it was between them like old times back in his tree bungalow.

"I'll have to organise for another office chair" Lucas remarked.

"Or I can go to the living room" Amelia offered.

"No, stay as you are and study" he told her in a businesslike manner, she gave a small smile and looked down at her plex. He turned his attention to the board and watched the calculations drift by enjoying the moment as he wasn't alone.

* * *

"I said make a list and choose anyone but the girl" Taylor told Malcolm.

"I know but she is the only person who will work him and she has an aptitude for the field. We need more people like Lucas and she is the best candidate. Are you telling me to squander a girl's potential because she and your son already have an affiliation?" Malcolm asked him, he really didn't care that Taylor was tearing into him as he had already sent Amelia over to the house and she hadn't come back which meant that Taylor was showboating at Malcolm usurping his authority.

"She was his prisoner" Taylor said as if it was supposed mean something to Malcolm. But Malcolm being incredibly pragmatic to the point of insensitivity didn't look affected by Taylor's words in the least.

"So was the whole colony but she is the only one who appears to like being in his company so why make others suffer? Did I mention she scored in the highest percentile for mathematics and applied physics? Not as high as Lucas's record but pretty close" Malcolm said as he continued to work.

"You know Malcolm, arguing with you is like arguing with a brick wall" Taylor said.

"I'll take that as a compliment" Malcolm said with an amused smile as Taylor shook his head and left the labs. He knew now he would be having lunch at home as he needed to keep an eye on the two.

* * *

"Your hand bothering you?" Lucas asked a few hours later as he noticed Amelia was looking pained as she sat in the chair slowly moving the fingers of her braced hand.

"Yeah, I did my rehab exercises this morning and may have possibly overdone it. That or the pain killers are wearing off" She said grimacing.

"May I?" Lucas asked as shifted on the stool to face her and gestured for her hand. Amelia placed her plex in her lap and rolled the chair closer to his and placed her right hand in his. He took it in his and stripped the brace off her hand.

Amelia nearly forgot to breathe and became mesmerised as he held her hand his and with his other hand traced the pale scars on her hand. He gently massaged her hand careful to not apply too much pressure.

"They did good work, is this helping?" he asked her as he looked at her. He inwardly smiled at how affected she was by him proximity and massaging her hand.

"Yeah" she said in a thick voice as she looked completely dazed as she took slow and deep breaths as she watched his hands move over hers. She was inwardly kicking herself for reacting to such innocent touching and for wishing he was massaging more than her hand as it felt amazing.

"I used to get bad hand and arm cramps from writing when I was first exiled in the jungle." he told her as he continued to massage up her hand and fore arm back to her hand trying to keep it as casual as possible so he wouldn't think about how soft and warm her skin felt or how close they were sitting as he only had to move his head a few inches forward and he'd could kiss her.

"Do you have your meds with you?" he asked, she shook her head not making eye contact but her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink.

"You know should carry your meds with you. Just in case" Lucas told her in a slightly chastising tone. She rolled her eyes and tried to act as calmly as she could.

"I know I forgot in my rush to not be late on my first day as an apprentice" Amelia said before she took a sharp inhale when he massaged a particularly sore spot on her hand.

"Sorry" he murmured they both looked up and their eyes locked for a moment and it was like the air became filled with a heady tension. Amelia licked her lips unsure of how a perfectly innocent and platonic moment turned into something incredibly intimate and foreign to her. She really had no experience with what she was supposed to do or say but as luck had it the front door opened to save her from making a complete fool herself.

"It's ok" She said as Lucas pulled away first, he picked up the brace and wrapped around Amelia's hand with quick ease as they heard Commander Taylor call out and a few seconds later the older man appeared at the door way.

"Miss Jones, Lucas" Taylor said in greeting as he looked to the two of them. "Relax, Dr Wallace explained that you'll be over more often" Taylor told them.

"He did?" Lucas asked sceptically.

"Yes, he gave a convincing argument. How was your morning?" he asked, he wore an unreadable expression as he looked at them both but Amelia felt like she guilty of something and an unusual urge to confess even though she had nothing to confess.

"Productive, I was about to walk Amelia to the door as she needs to go home and take the rest of the day off. She isn't feeling well" Lucas said in a casual tone. Taylor looked to Amelia and Lucas could see his father believed it as Amelia was looking pale even with her flushed cheeks.

"Yeah and Alicia is expecting me for lunch. I need my meds" Amelia said, she noticed Taylor's quirked eyebrow. Her eyes went wide as she interpreted his look as one that inferred she was saying she was an addict "I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I'm not addict but my hand is playing up and I'm going to shut up and leave now" Amelia said as she stood up abruptly and the plex she had forgotten about in her lap clattered to the floor.

"I got it" Lucas said he looked mildly amused as he picked up the plex and stood up himself. "Allow me to escort you to the door" Lucas said as he picked up the small bag she had brought with her and placed the plex inside it before he gestured for her to leave the room first. Taylor stood to the side so Amelia and Lucas could pass by him. Amelia gave a weak smile as she passed Taylor and headed to the door. Lucas followed behind her when they got there he opened the door for her.

"Here" he said as he held the bag with the plex out to Amelia.

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, make it around 10am. Take care of yourself and don't forget your meds tomorrow" Lucas told her, Amelia gave a nod and walked away. Lucas waited until she was out of sight before he closed the door and turned to Taylor who had been watching them.

"What?" Lucas asked him as he knew Taylor was going to give him a speech.

"I'll be keeping a close watch on you two. Don't think I will allow any relationship other than professional between you two under my roof" Taylor told him.

"Understood" Lucas said.

* * *

"So how was your morning with Malcolm?" Alicia asked as she passed Amelia two dino shaped pills to her. Amelia took them and down them with water before she continued to eat.

"Well the five minutes I was in his presence it was ok" Amelia said over lunch at Boylan's bar. Alicia had made the decision they'd eat out and thus were sitting at a table against one of tables upstairs away from the main bar so they could have a decent conversation as the lunch crowd downstairs was rather rowdy and loud.

"5 minutes? What did you do with the other 3 hours and 55 minutes?" Alicia asked before she took a bit of her lunch.

"I was with Lucas" Amelia said.

"With Lucas?"

"Yeah Dr Wallace said Physics was the only field of study I should focus on as the colony needs more Physicists" Amelia told Alicia repeating Malcolm's words. Alicia looked unimpressed as she swallowed her food.

"It's not your only option" Alicia said hating how people pigeoned holed Amelia just because she was born in a different century and couldn't possibly be more or learn.

"Apparently it is if I want to do anything in the field of science" Amelia said with a dismissive shrug that made Alicia want to drop her lunch and serve Malcolm a hard right hook to the face.

"You can do whatever you want to. What were you going to study in college?" Alicia asked, she knew Amelia had told her at some point but she had forgotten.

"Something prestigious and incredibly hard that would earn me $100k or more a year . But that was what my mother wanted me to do" Amelia said as she concentrated on her food.

"Ok well if you could do anything, study anything what would it be?" Alicia asked her.

"I wanted to a double degree as a compromise-" Amelia started but Alicia cut her off as she knew Amelia wasn't going to give her a straight answer of what she wanted to be without it being about what Amelia's mother wanted her to be.

"What did you want to be? Not what your mother wanted you to be" Alicia asked.

"I wanted to study art but Art isn't useful like being a physicist. Art is my pleasure I don't want it to become work" Amelia said making excuses as she didn't want to think of her hand's current condition and how at the moment the idea of painting or drawing would just make her cry as she knew anything she produced would be complete rubbish instead of art.

"You also don't want to lose daily access to Lucas even if it means learning physics which you told me you hate" Alicia said as she felt like calling Amelia out on the obvious that in dedicating herself to physics Amelia would spend a greater deal of time with Lucas.

"I can learn to like it" Amelia said casually even though a blush tinged her cheeks as she stabbed her salad with her fork and taking a bite.

"Hey it's your choice" Alicia said with a smile as she hit the bull's eye.

"There is something comforting in being in Lucas's presence" Amelia admitted.

"You're the only one who feels that" Alicia said with a chuckle.

* * *

_TBC~ See you all after the holidays with more :-D_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

3 weeks had passed quickly and yet painfully at the same time in Lucas's world and so did the work. Amelia was studying hard and completely oblivious to the affect she was having on him but he knew she wasn't doing it on purpose. She was just so innocent she didn't know, he did know that she had a crush on him if not half in love with him. He had no clue why, he had nothing to give her and while he was polite he stopped all encouragements of her affections. He kept them strictly platonic or tried his best as he knew if his father caught one whiff of impropriety Amelia would never be allowed back into the house.

So 3 weeks he watched her from across the table, the way her hair feel around her face, the way she bit her top thumb knuckle when she was thinking through something difficult in her work. He wished so much that their circumstances were different but he had to constantly remind himself that they weren't. That they would finish their work and she would be gone for good living outside in the colony. He didn't contemplate the idiot who would be lucky to have her and share his life with her as it made his guts twist with Jealousy. He brought his attention back to the conversation at the table.

"I'll be finished with the repairs by the end of the week" Malcolm said as he sat opposite Lucas at the dining table while Taylor sat at the head of the table at his usual seat. They were having a board meeting it amazed Lucas how his father kept the leash tight on Lucas. He wouldn't let him go to the Command Centre for a meeting.

"When it is complete we should take a trip out to the badlands" Lucas said before he took a sip of his coffee. It had been years since he had drunk the stuff but now he was hooked again.

"Why?" Malcolm asked, confused as he knew Lucas had made great progress with his work with the week Amelia had been apprenticing with him but he also knew the calculations weren't complete.

"The fracture is small but it's big enough for transmissions to come through from the other side as they have a working terminus. They may have made more progress that can help me with my work" Lucas said to Taylor as he was the one who made the final decisions.

"If they could have made more progress then why haven't they come through?" Malcolm asked.

"Because they want a stable two way connection and entry point to Terra Nova before they attempt sending people or objects through. For that we need to set up our terminus so make a stable connection otherwise we'd end up with the same issue of people popping up in random locations in the Badlands which is quite dangerous considering the terrain" Lucas explained.

"But your calculations aren't complete" Taylor said. Lucas fought to roll his eyes as he really hated how no one understood his work and how he had to keep explaining himself except to Amelia.

"No but then the calculations will never be complete as I have to adjust the variance factors in keeping a stable portal open like what they did in Hope Plaza but on our end. My work isn't something I can figure out on a board and hand over to you. A lot of the recalibrations and calculations will have to be managed in the field" Lucas told them, Taylor looked to Malcolm who gave a nod.

"It's true, the earlier models of the Terminus had to calibrated on site and adjustments regulated by someone in person. I may be able to make the terminus work but I'm not savvy enough to do what Lucas is talking about." Malcolm said.

"Ok, where in the badlands is the fracture?" Taylor asked.

"From here it's about two day journey. You'll have to confer with Mira she did most of the driving" Lucas said.

"How will we find it? I assume you marked it" Taylor said.

"With a crashed 20th century yellow automobile" Lucas said Malcolm and Taylor looked at him oddly "Amelia's car" he informed them. Malcolm and Taylor exchanged looks before Malcolm spoke.

"Right, if that's the case we will need to bring out a storage container and a clean up crew so we can clean up any of the engine liquids and pollutants from the ground" Malcolm said to Taylor.

"I'll make a note of it" Taylor said.

* * *

"So why aren't you at Taylor's today?" Alicia asked as she lifted Amelia's leg and sat down on the lounge with Amelia.

"They are having a meeting and Lucas wants me to study without distraction" Amelia said as she had been sitting on the couch with 'Dr Who' on the large screen. Alicia took the show a little too literally and usually pointed out flaws in the show instead of enjoying it for what it was while Boylan would sit next Amelia and enjoy the show with the odd "That doctor will show 'em" and a wink.

"So having Doctor Who on while studying isn't distracting?" Alicia asked.

"Not as distracting as you are being" Amelia replied with a smile as she tapped the plex screen in front of her not looking up.

"Well I'm bored and my shift has been changed to a night shift." Alicia said like it was Amelia's job to entertain the older woman.

"Go visit Carter?" Amelia offered.

"We need a break. We're having a fight" Alicia said, usually she was one to have a fight out in one go but at the moment she had no patience for Carters pithy complaints about being behind bars and her being a free agent like she would just trade him in. She really wished he had more confidence in her.

"Why?" Amelia asked looking up from the plex.

"He's just frustrated that he's behind bars and I'm not coming to see him every day because I have to work. So he's getting all 'jealous clingy boyfriend' on me thinks I'm off sleeping around with other men." Alicia said.

"By other men you mean Commander Taylor?" Amelia asked as the Commander was always asking Amelia how Alicia was doing and seemed to be with more interest than a person would display if they were just being socially polite.

"We aren't like that. Taylor is one of my oldest friends and a mentor to me. Anyway Carter should know better I'm loyal to default. I'd never cheat unlike him the man whore" Alicia said with a sigh as she sunk down in the lounge and placed her arms over Amelia's legs that were in her lap.

Amelia couldn't help but notice the change in Alicia's tune from a couple weeks ago when she would say Taylor 'was' her oldest friend and while the two to her knowledge hadn't exactly been meeting up for coffee or socialising in any manner it had changed to Taylor 'is' my oldest friend with compliments added.

"Anyway some good news a house has become available for us" Alicia told her.

"So we're moving?" Amelia asked she had to admit she had grown fond to living with Boylan and Alicia.

"Not today but I figured we could paint it and have it air out for a couple of weeks while we organise some furniture and other sundries. We should exploit Boylan's generosity for as long as possible as it never lasts long" Alicia said with a smile.

"It's been over a month" Amelia told her.

"I know which in itself is shocking. Come on let's go and enjoy the day instead of studying" Alicia told her as she plucked the plex from Amelia's hands.

"I have to finish it" Amelia said as Alicia turned the large plex screen and Amelia's plex off and placed it on the coffee table.

"You are done for the day and we have to discuss what you're going to do for your birthday in a couple of weeks" Alicia said with a smile.

"Can we not?" Amelia asked she had forgotten all about her birthday and she didn't want to have one as it would probably turn into some big community event where she would make an ass of herself.

"Not what?" Alicia asked as she lifted Amelia's leg up and dropped them back on the couch.

"Do anything for my birthday. No presents, no party" Amelia asked as she got to her feet.

"No cake?" Alicia asked in a shocked and slightly disappointed tone as she used every celebration in the book to indulge in delicious desserts.

"Cake is acceptable but no singing" Amelia said.

* * *

Alicia gave a sigh as she finished all of her chart work for the evening. She always thought the infirmary would be a tiny bit more lively but with nearly two decades of service in the military and being a medic primarily in war zones. The infirmary was dull as dish water. All she did was treat rashes, boils and minor injuries and the odd hypochrondriac. She and Amelia had a good day together. They had seen their new house which was a carbon copy of all the other houses in floor plans. Three bedrooms one bathroom and a open plan living area for kitchen/dining and living room rolled into one. They spent a good portion of the morning negotiating colour schemes before they got to work. She had mean to be working the afternoon shift but Nurse Ogawa had asked if she could cover her night shift. Alicia accepted the change of times as she didn't care when she worked as long as she had something to do to burn some time and energy while earning a few terras.

Tonight like every other night since her routine was quiet and slow. There were only three patients but all stable and asleep. Alicia sat at one of the main lab tables in the room with a plex screen. She was tapping her fingers on the table bored as she looked out the windows at the main square. She could still remember clearly when Lucas and she stood toe to toe and he pointed the gun at her head. Her last words and the tears threatening to fall and her throat burning with emotions as she wanted to sob but she would never leave this world or any other a blubbering undignified mess. She thought of all the ways to go out it had been a good one even with everything left unsaid between her and Taylor. She remember how she was doing it for him mostly and the colony second. She wanted him to keep fighting as the colony needed him. She had been lost in the memories of how in that moment all the thoughts running through her head when she heard her name snapping her attention back to the present.

"Wash?" She heard Taylor say in a soft voice it pulled her out of her memories back to the present as she looked to Taylor and Jim who were looking at her with concern. She caught a quick glimpse of herself in the reflective glass of the switched off plex screen and saw the tears and quickly wiped them away.

"Sir" she said getting to her feet out of habit.

"You ok?" Taylor asked deep concern etched on his face.

"Fine, but by the looks of you I can see you've seen better days" Alicia said dryly as Taylor was holding a bloodied towel to his side of his head. Jim looked a little sheepish as he gave a 'oops' smile and shrugged. He could be a real man child when he had to Alicia assumed it was one of the numerous things elisabeth loved about the man.

"I was teaching Shannon Escrima and he got me a good one" Taylor said he lifted the cloth away to show the gash he earned for not paying close attention.

"You're going to need stitches" Alicia remarked as she inspected the wound.

"Well now that you're in capable hands I pass my concussed commander-sitting duties to you" Jim said to Alicia as if she had won a car. Alicia and Taylor looked at Jim with pursed lips as they both found him amusing for different reasons. Alicia was amused because of Jim's impretinence while Taylor couldn't believ how obvious Jim was making it seem like this was a ploy to get some alone time with Alicia.

"You'll keep" Taylor told him in a dark tone so Jim knew he wasn't as amused as he looked.

"I'll see you tomorrow Commander. Wash" Jim said and with a wave he left the infirmary. Alicia looked to Taylor.

"You want to sit up or lie down?" she asked him.

"I'll sit" he said, Alicia gave a nod and gestured to a stool at the table she was sitting at which he took while she went and grabbed a suture kit. Normally they'd just spray with Derma-spray but the chem. lab was down and Dermaspray was in short supply. It wasn't like it was the first time Alicia had stitched up the Commander.

She washed her hands and pulled on surgical gloves and took the towel from Taylor placing it to the side and got to work treating the wound. He winced at first as she applied a topical anaethesia but relaxed as he knew it would take a few minutes for Alicia to do her work. He needed to use his time wisely as they still hadn't met up for a game of chess or socialised at all except for brief greeting here and there.

"Are you ok Wash?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I said I was fine didn't I?" Alicia asked him as she cleaned the blood off his face and the wound.

"I have never caught you crying. You and Carter on the outs?"

"Really? You want to talk about me and Carter?"

"Not really but if it would help I'm here and I got two functioning ears"

"And a possible concussion" she added dryly.

"That too. I hate seeing you in pain." he said in a low voice.

"It's nothing I was just in a head space. It was completely unrelated to Carter" Alicia told him, her eyes burned with unshed tears as she felt all the emotions of that night running through her. She wished it was a switch she could just flick and forget it all.

"If it is nothing then why do I feel like I want to pull you into arms and tell you it's going to be alright?" he asked her, his hands ached to hold her but knew she'd probably break one of them for being forward with her. She stood so close to him, wearing a doctor's white coat with grey v-neck tshirt and black skinny jeans that hugged her in ways he wanted to but they were friends or at least trying. Though he secretly hoped Alicia and Carter were on the outs for good so he could court her. It had been something he had thought about since coming to Terra Nova but ever the professional he couldn't cross that line. Now it was different but still the same as long as she was still with Carter he wouldn't cross that line. He didn't take another man's woman.

"Because I'm no longer under your command so you can do it without being court marshalled or compromising your command structure?" Alicia offered sarcastically she knew she was being a bitch but she just didn't want to cave and appear weak. They were supposed to try and be friends but she knew Carter and Lucas were right there was a huge part of her that wanted Taylor to love her as she did he.

"That wouldn't stop me. Didn't stop me after Somalia" Taylor told her as he looked at her directly. She still kept her hair tied up in a ponytail while working. It was like her business mode.

"Carrying my broken body back to bed because I sleep walked doesn't count" Alicia told him as she remembered everytime he carried her. She quickly and efficiently stitched his wound closed.

"Bad habit for a soldier" he remarked.

"I didn't make a habit of it. It was just one time and who could blame me the food was terrible" Alicia said distractedly as she placed gauze and tape over the closed wound to keep it chuckled as she had made the exact same complaint at the time. "Ok you're all done" she said as she moved back a step.

"Just wait a moment" he said, he caught her arm to stop her from walking away. She looked at him but didn't move her arm away. She should have moved away put some space between them as she couldn't help the intense emotions roll in her. Emotions that heavily conflicted with one another as part of her resented him for abandoning and another wanted him to give her something she knew he couldn't. She also knew she wasn't available for him in any manner but as a friend.

A long moment of silence passed between them as the air was tense with everything unsaid between them. They just looked at one another before Taylor spoke in a soft voice.

"I really want to be here for you" he told her.

"You always have been" She told in an equally low voice as he caught her other arm with his hand and held her there. They didn't break eye contact not even to blink.

"No, I haven't but this time I will be better" He told her

"I'm not going to be your penance" she told him.

"Having my son under my roof and dealing with his less than affable disposition is my penance. I want to have you in my life" Taylor told her, Alicia had smiled at the remark about Lucas but at the last sentence she looked confused. She blinked and looked away for a moment before lookign back at him.

"As a friend?" she asked as she needed him to clarify because she felt like he was asking for more but with Taylor it was hard to decipher.

"Anyway I can have you. I know I'm crossing lines you've drawn but I need you to-" he stopped as he saw a nurse was coming towards them. He released her arms and stepped back.

"Alicia you need a hand here?" the nurse asked as she looked between Alicia and Taylor though her eyes lingered a little longer on Taylor. Alicia cleared her throat and shook her head.

"No, all good here" Alicia said to the nurse before looking to Taylor "I still need to run a scan Sir" she said, Commander Taylor nodded and allowed Alicia to direct him to the nearest bio-bed.

* * *

"What have you brought with you today with you?" Lucas asked when he welcomed Amelia into the house. Her hair was loose and hanging free around her shoulders as she wore a brown dress with floral pattern and a loose brown cardigan. It was a little more dressed up today than her usual wear but he didn't disapprove.

He followed her into the kitchen and stood close to her as she placed the bag on the bench and then lifted a container out of the bag before pulling out a knife placing it on the bench.

"Well Alicia told me you and Commander Taylor are going out to the badlands a couple days from now to see if you can open the portal which means you will miss my birthday. So I figured it was a good excuse for cake that I was in the mood for. kind of like two birds one stone scenario" Amelia informed him as she opened the lid and revealed a cupcake. She picked up the knife and the cupcake and moved to the lounge room where he flowed her and took a seat on the lounge next to her.

"So will you be with Alicia celebrating?" He asked her.

"We will but right now I want to celebrate with you before you go." Amelia told him as she slowly sliced the cupcake in half in the container on the coffee table.

"I feel honoured" he told her, he watched as she blushed lightly and focused on cutting the tiny cake like it was heart surgery. "So I guess you don't follow tradition?" he asked her as he couldn't help but notice the knife came out slightly dirty.

"Tradition?" Amelia asked as she held the knife in hand and looked at him. He pointed to the knife but she looked like she didn't understand what he was saying.

"The knife" he said pointing to it.

"What about it?" She asked, he was truly amazed how she was more oblivious to old customs than he was. He knew her life was pretty cloistered but this was ridiculous.

"It came out dirty" he told her as if prompting her to remember she looked at him.

"So?" she asked.

"Did you not have or go to any birthday parties in the many years you've been alive?" he asked her. Amelia shook her head as she used her thumb to collect the icing on the knife.

"No, my mother believed they were an frivolous and unproductive activity and that time could be spent doing other things. Why?" she asked as she licked the icing off her thumb looking at him.

He was mesmerised for a moment as he forgot she was completely oblivious to how incredibly beautiful she looked in that moment or how much of a turn on it was to watch her lick the icing off her thumb. The most innocent of gestures that led his mind elsewhere. It was his own fault for allowing his mind to look at her in more than a perfunctory manner. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"Well when the knife comes out dirty tradition dictates the birthday girl i.e. you kisses the nearest guy otherwise you end up with bad luck" He told her wondering exactly what she was going to do. She sized him up with an odd smile like she was unsure if he was telling her the truth.

"Really? That sounds completely bogus" Amelia told him incredulously as she shook her head at him.

"When have I ever lied to you?" he asked her.

"You've withheld the truth which is lying by omission" Amelia told him, he rolled his eyes.

"Information that is irrelevant" he assured her.

"So this birthday tradition is relevant? How?" Amelia asked him.

"Well it's bad luck and I figured you wouldn't want to suffer more bad luck than you already have" he said he knew he was crossing the line and it was about a million miles behind him but he just couldn't help himself. He just wanted to play with fire and see how far she would go.

"So you're not angling to kiss me?" Amelia asked him calling him on his game.

"No" Lucas told her, he watched as she blushed again and looked disappointed. He couldn't help but feel disappointed himself but relieved as he knew his father would not like it. It was amazing how he was a grown man but still had the limitations of a teenager.

"Bad luck" she said as she pushed half the cupcake towards him and turned to face him. He wondered where she was going with her thoughts when she did something that took him by great surprise. She moved hesitantly but he watched and remained still as he wanted to know what she was going to do. She cupped the sides of his face with her hands and her lips graced his with the most innocent kisses of his life.

He was so shocked by her forwardness and the innocence of the kiss as she gently caressed her soft lips against his. He couldn't help but respond in kind as he moved his hand one to the side of her neck and moved his other hand to her lower back drawing her in closer to him as he took control of the kiss. He knew she was appreciative as she relaxed in his arms with a sigh of pleasure.

Amelia melted in his arms and kissed him with a shy and gentle passion as he deepened the kiss. He knew he should have ended the kiss before she started but he didn't want to. He hadn't been intimate with a woman like this in years unless one counted one heated hour with Skye Tate. Lucas didn't as there was a trepidation and slight disgust in Skye's disposition when they interacted it was just physical needs being met mainly his as she was using the only thing she had to offer for Josh Shannon's freedom. Her body, sure he had some gratification from their time but he also considered it a true waste on her part as the boy wasn't worth her whoring herself to him.

Amelia however was very different to Skye, she was kissing him because she wanted to and because she wanted him just as he did her. She may be entirely inexperienced but she was making up for it in enthusiasm and taking advantage of him. Her arms hooked around his neck as he lifted her into his lap to give him more freedom of her mouth. He kept one around her waist and the allowed the other to travel up her flank to the side of her face where he broke the kiss, he kept his hand by her face and his forehead pressed against hers.

"Happy Birthday" he told her in a low voice. Amelia felt a shiver of pleasure run down her back as he looked into her eyes with his. It was amazing how emotionally laden his eyes were as she could see he was equal parts; amused, thoughtful and something she couldn't tell but she knew it was good. It had to be as he was still holding her, his lips drew into a small smile.

"So, this whole dirty knife thing the kiss saves me a year of bad luck?" Amelia asked him in a breatheless voice that was making his head spin as only she could coherent sentences, obviously he hadn't kissed her long enough.

"Not sure, why?" he asked.

"Thinking we should do it again to really seal the deal as I don't want anything bad to happen" she said as she wanted him to kiss her instead of the other way round as he was definitely the better kisser. She knew her attempt at kissing him was a failure but she was willing to learn and grateful he wasn't critiquing her skills like he did her physics work.

"I like how you think but we shouldn't" he said reluctantly as he moved her off his lap. He would have loved to keep kissing her but he knew it would never go anywhere and to continue would only hurt her more.

"Oh, ok" Amelia said in a small voice, she was slightly crushed at his rejection and really wanted to ask what she had done wrong but felt it would come off sounding desperate and insecure two things Amelia didn't want to be.

"Amelia-"

"It's fine, you don't need to explain I was just being stupid" Amelia said as she waved a dismissive hand and pulled her cupcake half into pieces doing something so she didn't look at him. Lucas gave a sigh and mentally kicked himself for making her upset.

"Amelia, I'm not rejecting your advances but I shouldn't encourage you either" He said as he could see she demolishing her cupcake with her fingers to distract herself then to eat it.

"You're not making sense" she said not looking at him. She was vainly trying to keep herself from crying as you didn't just give away your first kiss and then make out for the other person in the equation to reject you. Or at least that's what Amelia assumed.

"I'm not a good man for you" Lucas told her as he watched her, it appeared his bad habit of having internal dialogues had rubbed off on Amelia as the girl looked to be working up a mean anger in her head instead of getting upset and crying.

"How do you know that? What makes you any worse than any other guy out there?" Amelia asked, Lucas opened his mouth to say something when the front door opened. He closed his mouth as they both turned and saw his father come through the door looking less than impressed.

"Miss Jones, I need to ask you to leave I have to talk with my son" Taylor said.

"Yes, Sir" Amelia said grateful for someone to give her an escape than suffer through polite rejection.

* * *

"They were practically fornicating in the living room" Taylor said in a low and angry voice to Alicia. She tried to smother a laugh but just couldn't, Taylor looked at her with wide eyes "I'm sorry you find something amusing?" he asked as they stood outside the back door of the infirmary. Alicia had just come on for the nightshift when Taylor dragged her out the back for a 'word' apparently he had many.

"Fornicating?" Alicia asked laughing as she thought it was hilarious.

"I'm sorry what term would you like me to use? How about my 25 yr old son sticking his tongue down your 16 year old ward while on their way to the horizontal cha cha?" Taylor asked, Alicia couldn't but feel amused as Taylor was acting like he found the two inflagrante when he walked in after the two had kissed.

Amelia had told Alicia about what happened while she drowned herself in 2 litre tub of sorbet and a litre of water regaling the embarrasing tale at how she threw herself at Lucas like an idiot and then was rejected. Apparently the only good thing was Taylor getting home early and saving the girl from being politely rejected. Alicia felt for the girl as she was pretty sure it was her first kiss and instead of telling Lucas that she just went for it and thus the rejection was that much crueler for Amelia. Alicia was also pretty sure she was going to come home to Amelia emptying that sorbet and water.

"Wow. You are really overreacting. One; Amelia is 18 in four days, two they kissed and were no where near 'fornicating' and three if you think one kiss is fornicating then you really need to get out of those bodice rippers and get laid"

"Is that your official diagnosis?" Taylor asked dryly.

"No but now I'm no longer your lieutenant. So I get away with telling you that without being punished" Alicia said with a smile as it was enjoyable to be free to say many things she couldn't have while she was in his command.

"Don't think you can get away with everything I'm not above taking you over my knee-"

"Good luck getting me there" Alicia scoffed in a rich tone. Taylor raised an eyebrow at her as he knew she was a cheeky woman when she let her hair down and enjoyed a drink off the clock but now it was like he was fair game now she didn't have to show him the same respect.

"You're far more irritating now you can speak your mind" He told her with a slight pout as he slightly missed when she would just give him the look that said 'I don't agree with you' while saying 'Yes sir, you're right sir'. At least it was when they were alone as he was sure she would not yank his chain in front of the soldiers.

"I'm find it quite liberating. As for Lucas and Amelia I think it's just a non event. I wouldn't worry"

"Really?"

"Lucas may like to think he doesn't take after you but in many ways he is just like you" Alicia said.

"How?" Taylor asked sceptical as he felt there was nothing he and Lucas shared except for their height, build and the some similar facial features.

"He cares about her and he knows he has nothing to offer her. You think it's some kind of pleasure being around someone you care about and knowing you can't give them everything they deserve?"Alicia asked him.

"I'm not releasing him"

"I didn't ask you to and I also think Amelia deserves better" Alicia told him.

"You don't approve of my son?" Taylor asked.

"No, he shot me and yes I'm that shallow to hold it against him" Alicia said with a smile as Taylor chuckled. Alicia didn't really want to discuss with Taylor how she felt it was harder to have a relationship with a prisoner. It wasn't a life or a relationship as you were constantly separated and it separated your world into two parts. She didn't want that for Amelia and she also didn't want to tell Taylor that because then he'd make some remark about her and Carter.

"You are far from shallow" he told her in a soft tone.

"I have my reasons-" she said being serious but Talor cut her off.

"But you're not willing to share them" Taylor said as Alicia gave him a secretive smile, he really had missed that smile and was glad that he was able to see it again.

"Nope and you have an early morning" She said as she pushed his shoulder.

"That I do" he said with a sigh as he pushed his and Lucas's leave date for the badlands up to tomorrow morning. Just the two of them to check out the sight and Malcolm would follow them in a couple of days with the Terminus and a couple of soldiers to unload it.

"Don't be stupid out there" she told him, he looked at her and smiled as it was something she always told him before he left the colony. Never 'be safe' or 'come home in one piece' no it was too endearing and personal unlike 'Don't be stupid out there' or 'do me a favour and don't get lost. I don't want your job'.

"You're not going to see me off tomorrow? Be like old times" he said hoping he might be able to slowly draw her out.

"Maybe I do get off at 5 am" she said.

"Don't strain yourself on my behalf. Night Wash" he said as he turned and started to walk away.

"Is there going to be coffee?" she asked loudly as he turned and looked at her as if he was considering her question.

"I guess you'll have to wait and see" Taylor replied.

* * *

TBC~ Cya all later and thank you for the reviews :-)


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Wash, what are you doing here?" Jim asked surprised to see her in the Main square. He had wondered if clocking Taylor on the head had opened up the some crack in the wall between the two as he missed Taylor and Alicia's partnership and he missed having her around. It wasn't the same with her working in the infirmary living her own life that was separate from theirs.

"I just got off shift and I'm here for coffee. So wipe the smug smile off your face" Alicia said to Taylor as she took the travel cup of hot coffee he offered her. He of course was glad she was here as it felt right to have her see him off. Lucas was already in the rover looking bored out of his mind and ready to go as he waited on Taylor to finish handing the colony over to Jim and saying goodbye.

"You must have an iron stomach to drink his brew" Jim said to Alicia.

"Possibly, if you knew the rot I ate out there you'd happily eat or drink anything slightly palatable" Alicia said with a sigh as the coffee was perfection. Even though she had meant her comment to be benign Taylor and Jim still looked uneasy at her. Jim shifted and cleared his throat.

"So you and Lucas are going to drop marker points to the site?" Jim asked Taylor to change the subject.

"Yeah, may as well and I expect Malcolm and Guzman will be three days behind us with the Terminus" Taylor said as that was his understanding of how they had arranged the OTG trip. He didn't want to stretch it more than a week if he could help it.

"You sure you don't want to take a couple of soldiers with you?" Jim asked he pointedly looked to Lucas so his unsaid words were understood. Jim still felt it was dangerous to have Lucas running loose.

"I'll be fine" Taylor assured Jim.

"He did stab you" Alicia countered in a frank tone. Taylor grimaced.

"Do you have to remind me?" Taylor asked her as he didn't enjoy being dressed down by Dr Shannon for not staying in the infirmary to rest and recuperate.

"Someone has to. Just because Lucas is behaving now doesn't mean he won't turn on you again" Jim said in a low voice as he didn't want Lucas or the soldier's nearby to hear him.

"He has motivation for this to work, killing me would be counter-productive" Taylor said.

"Oh? that really comforts me" Jim said sarcastically.

"Well men do stupid things for women" Alicia said in a low voice like it was some kind of secret. Taylor shot her a glower look while Jim looked at her confused. "Why else would he behave? Taylor holds the trump card" Alicia added.

"It's not like that" Taylor said.

"Are you going to withdraw his visitation privileges?" Alicia asked him.

"We'll discuss that quandry later when I get back" Taylor told her as now was not the time to start that discussion.

"Whatever, thanks for coffee and Safe Journey" Alicia told him, it wasn't the usual warm goodbye Taylor had grown accustomed to but it would do until he earned himself better terms with her.

* * *

"Hey, you're up early" Alicia remarked as she walked into the house and placed the travel mug Taylor had given her on the bench. Boylan was pouring himself a cup of fresh coffee in the kitchen.

"Got my brew to look after this morning" he said as he offered to pour her cup, she gave a nod deciding she would sleep after breakfast with Amelia.

"How was Amelia last night?" Alicia asked as took the cup of coffee he offered her and moved to the dining table taking a seat.

"You know she ate all of the sorbet in the house?" Boylan asked.

"Yeah I know. I'm amazed she isn't spewing it up right now" Alicia commented as she saw Amelia's bedroom doors were closed and figured she was sleeping off the sugar overload.

"Two and half litres gone. I really looking forward to a bowl this morning" Boylan gripped in good humour as he took a seat at the table opposite her.

"Boy problems" Alicia said with a sigh.

"You mean Lucas problems" He said, Alicia raised an eyebrow at him as she didn't mention Amelia's crush on Lucas to him and she doubted that Amelia would talk to Boylan about it. "Soldiers talk and apparently they had a bit of heated pash before Lucas broke up the party. He's just like his father" Boylan remarked.

"Really? I didn't realise Commander Taylor pulled a hot and cold on you" Alicia said sarcastically.

"It was a hot summer's night" Boylan started mockingly with a misty expression before laughing at his own humour. "No but he does know how to ruin a good thing" Boylan finished in a serious manner he looked at her in a way that meant that he believed that she were the 'good thing'.

"I guess I can't argue that" Alicia said taking the compliment.

"You know she wasn't crying about it so it can't be too bad right?" Boylan asked.

"Not all girls cry" Alicia told him.

"No apparently they eat all the sorbet to punish themselves and those who wanted some for breakfast" Boylan grumbled dramatically.

"Get over it, I'll buy more today" Alicia told him.

"I don't need it though I do have to ask when are you two moving out?" He asked before he took a sip of coffee.

"Two weeks from now if not more. I'm having issues with getting furniture" Alicia said with the roll of her eyes at how difficult it was to have someone tell her how long it would take just to get a lounge let alone all the other furniture pieces.

"Yeah, there's been a shortage for a long while. You know you guys don't have to move at all. I don't mind having you around here" Boylan said, Alicia couldn't believe Boylan was actually not pulling a game with her as he looked genuine in his sentiment.

"Really?" She asked a slow smile spreading across her face as Boylan was not one to get mushy unless he was mocking someone.

"Well it's nice to have company. Don't make a big deal of it" He said with a shrug.

"Awwh Boylan you're lonely" Alicia said mockingly.

"No I'm not" he said.

"Yes you are. There's no shame in it" Alicia said.

"You going to hug me if I say I am lonely?" he asked.

"No" Alicia told him.

"Well it was worth a try. Maybe I like having two pretty ladies in my house"

"Back to being lecherous"

"Hey if it's good for the Commander it's good enough for me" Boylan said Alicia looked at him oddly. "Word going around is that you and the Commander are getting cosy" he said waggling his finger at her.

"Is there anything in the colony you don't know about?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah I don't know exactly what's going on with you and the Commander"

"Nothing and we aren't cosy" Alicia told him darkly.

"Yeah right and I'm the Queen of England." Boylan said with a smile.

"Well it must be very hard for you to lose your throne and the monarchy" Alicia told him dryly.

* * *

Amelia woke up and looked at the clock groaning at how early it was. She heard the chatter from the living area and decided whether she would hide in her room and listen or just get up and start her day. But then she really didn't want to think about yesterday and what a fool she had made of herself. She dressed herself up and brought a cupcake and then when he made a stupid joke about a dirty knife she took it as an opening and threw herself at Lucas, only for her to have her first real kiss and to be rejected straight after. All because he felt he wasn't a good man, but she knew better it was she who was lacking. It gave her headache just thinking about how she kept failing at everything.

She didn't fit in with the people of the colony because she was 'out-dated' and while she scaled well in her intelligence it didn't matter to anyone in the academic society of Terra Nova. No one wanted her, not even Lucas she had thought he didn't care about any of it. Boy, she was wrong and now she was going to have to face him today and the humiliation.

She threw the blankets off her legs and got up changing into her comfiest clothing. If she was going to suffer she wasn't going to be dressed up for it that was for sure. _What was the point? he's just going to give some long speech about nice boys my age and that their time together was about the calculations nothing more..._ She thought as tossed on her old cargos and a grey off the shoulder jumper and opened the door walking straight into the living area.

Alicia and Boylan who had been laughing about something funny stopped but continued to smile as they looked at her.

"Hey it's the destroyer of Sorbet and all things sugary" Boylan quipped. Amelia gave him a dirty look as she was too tired to respond.

"How are you?" Alicia asked before she took a sip of her coffee.

"Tired" Amelia said as she moved to take a seat at the table next to Alicia.

"Were we too loud?" Alicia asked her as she looked at Amelia with concern, she was worried about all the ups and downs Amelia was having as she had been happy spending her days with Lucas. But now after the two kissed and Lucas not giving Amelia the best let down and not to mention Taylor's interruption and tossing Amelia out. Alicia felt for her as first kisses went it was probably worst way to go and Alicia knew what it was like to have people tell you how you should think about a subject only to inwardly feel the opposite.

"No" Amelia said as she dropped her head on the table.

"So what's the plan today ladies?" Boylan asked as he usually did every morning.

"I have to continue my studies at Commander Taylor's today with Lucas" Amelia said not lifting her head.

"Lucas and Commander Taylor left this morning" Boylan said Amelia lifted her head and looked at him.

"What?" Amelia asked she wondered why no one had told her. Lucas hadn't even sent her a message on her plex.

"They are going out to the Badlands, they won't be back for at least two weeks depending on if they are successful or not"

"Is this because of what happened yesterday?" Amelia asked Alicia who immediately shook her head.

"No, Lucas said the calculations were ready and Taylor is taking him at his word. They are going to the fracture. Malcolm will follow them later on with Guzman and a team of soldiers to help lug the terminus. It wasn't about what happened just poor timing" Alicia informed her with a slight frown as she didn't like saying it was 'poor timing'.

"For someone not cosy with the Commander you sure know a lot and what happened yesterday with Lucas? does this have to do with all the sorbet being eate-ow" Boylan said as Alicia kicked him under the table and glared at him. Amelia dropped her head back onto the table and used her arms to cover her face again.

"Malcolm dropped by for a quick chat" Alicia said.

"Oh right, hey you know maybe you should get cosy with Malcolm" Boylan said in an amused tone.

"Yeah and why don't I make you cosy with Nurse Evans isn't it time for prostate exam?" Alicia asked in a sickly sweet tone. Nurse Evans was not the most gentle of nurses on staff in the infirmary.

"Oh do I like 'em rough" Boylan replied as if he was actually excited by the threat.

"Ew" Amelia grumbled. Boylan laughed while Alicia shook her head at him.

"Anyway Malcolm wanted me to tell you Amelia that you can work from home with whatever work Lucas has given you and if you have any problems you can message Malcolm and he'll set a time aside for you Ok?" Alicia asked Amelia as she rubbed the girl's back in a soothing manner.

"Yeah ok" Amelia said glumly as she was inwardly glad she didn't have to study physics but sad that she was being relegated outside of the labs. She wondered if she was ever going to be accepted into the colony. Sure she had Boylan, Alicia who were like older siblings than pseudo parents and Maddy who was her only friend other than that everyone kept a wide berth of her like she was diseased or something.

"You know you should take this time to do stuff you want to do" Alicia suggested.

"Stuff I want to do?" Amelia asked sceptically as she wondered what Alicia meant by that. But she kept her head down as she didn't want to see their faces yet.

"Yeah, I agree. You can come work in the bar" Boylan suggested.

"I was thinking something more fun not working as your personal assistant" Alicia said to Boylan.

"What about art, Amelia's got her camera she could do a photo journal of the place" Boylan said to Alicia.

"There's idea or maybe painting" Alicia suggested

"I can't paint or hold a camera as my hand is still busted" Amelia said lifting her hand up that was still in it's brace.

"Ok so the photography is out but Doc Shannon said you should do rehab for your hand. Painting is a great for that" Alicia told her.

"That and if you paint bigger that way detail isn't important or like those weird abstract finger paintings that people go gooey about" Boylan offered, Amelia could just hear his smile.

"You have to start somewhere, so how about after breakfast you and I drop by the markets pick up a few things and if you feel like painting then you can and if you don't then it's no big the stuff can be here when you're ready" Alicia told her. Amelia lifted her head as it didn't sound like such a bad idea when she gave it some actual thought.

She was good at art, no her art teacher she had real talent. She started to mentally tell herself if she painted for herself it would help her hand recover its finer motor skills faster then she might be able to sell the paintings to make a living. She wouldn't be rich but it would be enough to get by. It wasn't like her mother's goals for her would come true and considering she really had no one to impress maybe she should just for a fortnight chuck it in and do what she wanted instead of what was expected.

"Fine, I'll paint" Amelia said, Alicia gave her a warm smile.

"Good. Now Boylan, where's my breakfast?" Alicia demanded.

* * *

"So did we start this adventure early because of one minor incident which will never repeat itself" Lucas drawled a few hours later. Judging by the sun it was around mid morning.

"Maybe I wanted some quality time" Taylor said as they pulled up to the last marker at the rim before the badlands. The hard part of driving through the dense jungle out of the way they had another 10 hours of driving through the badlands.

"That's rich" Lucas said.

"So is saying you will never be in a compromising position with Amelia Jones again. Tell me how far in are we going?" Taylor asked coolly. Lucas knew his father was right, he could say it wasn't going to happen again. That he wouldn't kiss Amelia ever again and if he could change history he'd not do it in the first place but it would be a lie. He had spent so much time in her presence she was under his skin. All he thought about was her and kissing her, feeling her in his arms just cemented how deeply he was attracted to her. He wanted her in every way but it wasn't going to happen or so he kept telling himself.

He couldn't get her out of his mind even if he wanted to and that one kiss made him hungry for something he secretly wanted and didn't deserve. Something his father clearly knew as he dragged Lucas out of the colony at dawn to find the fracture and make sure it hadn't disappeared.

"It's best to camp here and start early tomorrow morning. It's too hot to bed down in the badlands" Lucas told him.

"Ok" Taylor said as he pulled out his comm. to check in with the colony.

* * *

"Hey um you need a hand with this stuff Ma'am?"

Alicia and Amelia turned around to the guy wearing a black t-shirt and fatigues. He looked to be in early twenties and was about 6 ft tall, clean shaven face with well groomed red hair and hazel eyes. He stood with a awkward confidence as he gave them a friendly smile.

"I won't say no" Alicia said as she handed a couple of large blank canvases to him "Amelia Jones, this is Private Dunham" Alicia said making introductions before turning back to pay the shop owner.

"Hi, nice to meet you" Dunham said as he held out left hand for her to shake. Amelia took the hand and shook it. She couldn't help but feel impressed with how he adapted and didn't make the faux pas of offering his right hand when hers was still in its brace.

"You too and thank you for helping us" Amelia said as he immediately took the bag that was at her feet she had been about to pick up.

"No problem. I figured if anyone needs a hand right now it'd be you" he said, he then blushed lightly and shook his head while Alicia tried to not look so amused. "I didn't mean to say you're incapable- You know what I'm going to carry these things for you and be quiet before I dig myself any deeper" he chagrined.

"Probably a good idea" Alicia said, she wondered if Dunham was trying to cash in some good favour or actually sweet on Amelia and finally got the courage to talk to her. He had to be an improvement over Lucas but then Dunham was a good soldier and man who didn't put a foot out of line. She also knew it was very brave for Dunham to even be in their presence as Alicia would have no qualm breaking his arms if he tried anything out of line.

Alicia was about to say something when Jim came over to her. "Shannon" she said in greeting.

"Wash, could I have a quick word in the Command Centre?" Jim asked in a low voice as he darted a look at Dunham and Amelia signalling he wanted to them to talk alone. Alicia gave a nod turning her attention to Amelia and Dunham.

"All this stuff is paid for. Amelia, why don't you and Dunham take this to our house. It has more space than Boylan's. It can be your personal studio, I'll bring the other canvases within a few minutes" Alicia said.

"Ok" Amelia said slightly off kilter at being dismissed so quickly. She looked to Dunham as she picked up a medium sized canvas and gestured for Dunham to follow her.

"So what's going on?" Alicia asked Jim as he picked up the canvases she promised to follow Amelia with while she picked up a bag with pots of paints and they moved to the Command Centre. Once they were inside Jim closed the doors and turned to Alicia.

"I'm concerned about the Lucas situation" Jim said.

"I didn't realise he had gone from being a person to a situation" Alicia said mockingly. Jim gave her a look as if she were trying his patience.

"Don't tell me you're on Team 'Lucas' here. The guy shot you in the head and held you prisoner for months" Jim told her.

"I don't need reminding" Alicia said tartly as she folded her arms looking at him.

"I just think that we need contingency plans in place for worst case scenario-"

" 'We' You say that like I'm actually a part of some team we are in" she said as she cut off Jim.

"We are, you may have given up your commision but that doesn't mean you don't care about what happens to this colony and Taylor. We share the same interests. Interests Lucas hasn't given up on destroying" Jim told her.

"How do you know he is?" Alicia asked taking the role of devil's advocate.

"These talks about the fracture give me a bad gut feeling. I just know the fracture he's opening to the future is going to bring hell on this colony. The Phoenix Soldiers were the first wave, they were going to the Badlands to bring back reinforcements" Jim said.

"True but they failed and if I think I'm following you then what you are going to suggest next is mutiny. If you plan on undermining Taylor's authority and any standing orders he's given you and I won't help you" Alicia warned Jim. Just the fact he pulled her aside for this conversation told her that he had a plan and needed someone who would back him up.

"I prefer to call it protective measures, Taylor didn't agree with me as he knows the person who sent the databurst"

"Who?"

"General Melina St Claire" Jim said,

"St Claire made General in less than 6 years" Alicia scoffed in disbelief. Melina St Claire was a brilliant strategist but a lousy leader as she was viper. She had no qualms in destroying anyone who got in her way. Alicia knew that well from first hand experience luckily the incident was never reported as long as Alicia kept her mouth shut and took the transfer.

"You know her?" Jim asked.

"Of course, I served under her for a year before I was transferred into Commander Taylor's command. Our units worked in conjunction with one another on many campaigns over the years. Her unit was supposed to come through the portal on 13th pilgrimage to raise our military numbers and cope with the expansion of the colony population" Alicia explained.

"So is she good or should I be preparing for the worst?" Jim asked. Alicia gave a sigh as she felt wrong having this discussion. They were having a discussion about doing something behind Taylor's back just because Jim didn't like the idea of reopening the portal to the future.

"You should always be prepared for the worst, though it wouldn't hurt if you were suspicious about how someone who's barely been a commander for 6 years makes General" Alicia told him.

"She worked hard?" Jim offered.

"Taylor has been a Commander for over 12 years, you don't make General in less than 10 years. Even then you have to wait for slots to open up and if a slot did open I can think of 10 Commanders off the top of my head who have more years and experience than her" Alicia said shaking her head as she never thought St Claire would be promoted to General. It was laughable.

"See you have a bad gut feeling now don't you?" Jim asked her.

"No, I don't get gut feelings" Alicia told him.

"Look I don't like this. It's all due to some letter and wanting to reconnect with the future that only Lucas can do. He's been in contact with the future longer than us imagine what he's been telling them." Jim said, he wasn't alone as Alicia wasn't comfortable with the idea herself especially with St Claire outranking Taylor. She could just imagine the drama she was going to encounter if that woman ever came to Terra Nova.

"Ok, I'm not going to help you but I feel I should know as I am a citizen. So tell me hypothetically" Alicia stopped for a moment and pursed her lips as she couldn't believe she was going to involve herself in one of Jim's hair brain plans. But then it was better no what he was doing then to be the last to know "What do you want to do as 'protective measures'?" Alicia asked him.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"So, you're an artist?" Dunham asked making conversation as they walked in the direction of the new housing units.

"More of a hobby than a profession" Amelia said with a small smile. A part of her was actually excited at being able to take the time paint, her art teacher had allowed her to use the art class room during lunch to paint and do her major arts project. Amelia's brother had given her the money to buy the painting supplies and her art teacher offered her the space and storage during lunch. Seemed like forever ago when it was only a few months ago.

"A lot of equipment for a hobby" Dunham commented with a smile.

"I was dismissed from my internship early and I have no other internship offers. So unless I get more offers this may end up being my profession" Amelia said to him. She had to admit Dunham was a nice guy but she was smart enough to know he was trying to score brownie points but she wasn't sure if it was with her or Alicia he was trying to impress.

"Give the others time. After the Occupation, people around here find it hard to trusting one another let alone new comers" he said.

"Yeah, Lucas and Alicia told me about that time and Alicia warned me it would take time for people to adjust to my existance. I can't say my behaviour has helped facilitate my popularity" Amelia said keeping her eyes forward as a deep blush graced her cheeks as she was really not doing herself any justice with the Colonist if anything she just kept making mistake after mistake.

"Well I thought that slap was pretty impressive" Dunham said with a chuckle.

"Did anyone not see that little meltdown of mine?" Amelia asked with a groan.

"No, one of the soldier's filmed it with their comm. unit. I think everyone has seen it at least once and if you want my opinion? Shannon had it coming. He struts around like he's cut above the rest of us, it was good to have someone bring him down a notch. Though next time you should give him a left hook and knock him to the ground" Dunham said with a smile. Amelia chagrinned as she really had no desire to repeat that little performance.

"Well I didn't mean to slap him but he and Skye just made me so mad. Anyway can we not talk about it?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, no worries" Dunham said as they lapsed into silence for a moment as they continued on their way.

"So how long have you served?" Amelia asked taking her turn to make conversation.

"About 3 years. I enlisted at 17" Dunham said.

"17?" Amelia asked in disbelief as it was young in her opinion.

"Yeah it's the minimum age for enlisting. I wanted to be a soldier since I could walk" Dunham said with a smile.

"You don't regret it?" Amelia asked him out of curiosity.

"No, why would I?" he asked her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to come off harsh. It's just that I can't imagine making such a huge commitment at 17 and I'm barely 18 and I can't seem to commit to a canvas size let alone devoting 4 years to the military" she said.

"Barely 18?"

"It's kind of hard to judge" she mumbled he looked at her oddly "In my 'time zone' it was yesterday but here it's next week. Time is relative I guess which means I'm not 18 yet" she explained with a shrug.

"Must be confusing" he said sympathetically.

"I'd rather forget about it. I mean am I 18? Or am I 100 and something or do we all start back at zero because the year we are born is 85 million years into the future?" Amelia asked she blushed yet again as Dunham looked amused at her musing but it wasn't in the same vein that Lucas looked at her when she rambled stupid things. "Sorry, I think out loud about stupid things" she told him.

"No, it's actually a good question and I just never gave it much thought. Guys don't really care about birthdays unless it gets them free drinks" Dunham said with a chuckle.

"Our house is the red one" Amelia said as she pointed out the only painted house in the new block of houses they were near.

"Nice, you pick the colour?" he asked her.

"It was a joint decision" Amelia said glad the conversation turned onto something light and happy. "You know I never got your first name"

"It's William but I prefer Will not that it matters as everyone calls me 'Dunham'. There about 8 other 'Williams' and 'Wills' in uniform it's easier going by surname" he said with a smile.

"Fair enough" Amelia said as she stepped up onto the front porch and opened the door. They hadn't bothered to lock up the house as they had nothing to steal and no one was game enough to trash Alicia's house. She had a reputation for being a no nonsense kind of soldier who had no qualms putting someone in their place even if it required a little violence to get the message through.

"So where would you like these?" Dunham asked her as he stepped into the house.

"In the backroom please. I think it has the best lighting" Amelia said, she placed her bag on the floor and followed him to the back room and helped arrange the blank canvases against the wall. Apparently the room was supposed to be a green house or a sun room depending on the family. Amelia figured until she and Alicia moved in it would work best for her 'studio'.

"You'll probably need a table and some furniture" he said as they stood back looking at the room.

"Yeah I have an easel that's enough the rest will just stay on the floor until I can find the furniture. Boylan is going to get me some old sheets to lie on the floor to save the floorboards from stray paint" Amelia said her hands on her hips looking at the room for the first time that morning she didn't feel sorry for herself. In fact she felt something akin to relief as she wasn't going to mind boggled with physics equations and trying to impress Lucas while trying to decipher him. She just had space and empty canvases with many pots of paints, brushes and other supplies to do anything she liked with.

"Nice" Dunham said before he cleared his throat. "Well I better go" he said.

"Oh yeah, thanks for helping me with carrying all this stuff for me" she said grateful for his help.

"No problem, you know if you ever want to hang in the main square sometime drop me a message" he said to her.

"Ah sure" Amelia said as she wondered if he was asking her out on a date or as a friend but before she could answer Alicia appeared at the door way.

"What's going on here?" Alicia asked with a teasing smile, Dunham went a nice shade of pink from embarrassment and shook his head.

"Dunham was asking if we could hang out sometime" Amelia said casually.

"Really? Sounds sort of like a declaration of intent" Alicia said looking at Dunham while Amelia was confused by how Alicia was acting in regards to Dunham as if she was expecting him to confess something.

"I have to get going. I'm on duty soon. So I'll see myself out, bye" he said nodding his head to them before leaving the house at fast pace. So quickly Amelia and Alicia didn't even get to say goodbye.

"Am I missing something?" Amelia asked Alicia who chuckled and shook her head.

"Nothing you need to know" Alicia told her as she couldn't help but tease Dunham. It was clear Amelia was oblivious as Taylor's courtship rules were incredibly strict to the point that any girl being 'courted' usually had no clue why a soldier was hanging around her until the soldier declared his intentions. But Alicia had to admit while incredibly outdated the courting rules were they did have the upside of being was that the system when it worked was respectful of women.

"What if I want to know?" Amelia asked her.

"Well I could be wrong" Alicia said thoughtfully.

"I still want to know" Amelia said.

"I think Dunham wants to court you" Alicia said with a smile.

"Court me? like a bodice ripper courting?" Amelia asked as it sounded so archaic to her.

"Yes minus all the sex before marriage stuff" Alicia told her.

"I only met him today. He doesn't even know me! why would he want to court me? and when did 'courting' come back in style?" Amelia asked.

"Hmm well you're gorgeous and you're unspoken for. You've been in the colony for over a month. I believe he's just the first one brave enough to step forward. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more in the future" Alicia said.

"Really, so being pretty and not officially spoke for is all it takes?" Amelia asked in disbelief.

"Yes and you aren't spoken for"

"What about my affiliation with Lucas?"

"I'm sure they don't feel he's real competition." Alicia said she saw the look on Amelia's face "Look I know you're pretty serious about Lucas" Alicia said Amelia looked away blushing lightly and inwardly cringing at the memory of yesterday and Lucas's rejection. "But that doesn't mean you have to dedicate your whole life to the guy. You're young and there is nothing wrong with socialising with guys your own age-"

"Who aren't mass-murdering geniuses with low self esteem issues?" Amelia asked tartly as she didn't like hearing Lucas put himself down let alone have others around her telling her she can do better. They didn't get what she and Lucas had. Hell, she didn't even know herself.

"You said it not me but I was going to say guys who can give you a future" Alicia said.

"A future" Amelia repeated in a dull tone.

"Yeah, you're young now but some point in the future you'll want to settle down and have kids and share your life with someone-"

"I thought you supported me"

"I do, I'm just saying there's no harm in exploring your options. I'm not saying go out and hook up with every guy in your age group, I'm just saying enjoy the company of other people and make some more friends" Alicia told her with a soft smile, Amelia nodded heeding Alicia's words and in a way she was right. Amelia still felt strongly for Lucas and while he rejected her maybe he would change his mind or maybe she was hoping he rejected her because his Father wouldn't approve. It wasn't like they had a chance to talk and get past the 'it's me not you' line he was feeding her when Taylor came in. Either way it didn't mean she couldn't have more friends.

* * *

Three days later,

"Commander" Guzman said saluting Taylor as he and a team of soldier along with Malcolm had just arrived at the location of the fracture. The Badlands was a balmy 30 degrees celcius and heating up as it was only mid morning.

"Guzman, you guys made good time" Taylor said as Malcolm was already telling the soldiers to be careful as they unloaded the Terminus.

"Pedal to the metal, Sir" Guzman said he didn't want to admit that he'd rather gauge his right eye out than suffer through a nother long haul with Malcolm sitting next to him again. He was definitely relegating the Malcolm to back of the Rhino. If he was truly did get motion sick then he's just hose out the mess at Terra Nova than have his ear talked off.

"I see Malcolm didn't bring his own rover" Taylor said.

"No, Shannon confiscated it" Guzman said in a dark tone as he wished that Malcolm had brought his own rover.

"Reason?" Taylor asked,

"I don't know Sir but I wish he hadn't" Guzman said. Taylor smiled it took a special someone to put up with Malcolm for long periods of time especially when the man was dragged to places he didn't want to go.

"Maybe we can trade on the way back" Taylor said as he'd welcome a long ride with Malcolm over Lucas. He had tried his best to be civil with Lucas these past three days but all they did was exchange barbs. Frankly Taylor was ready to kill and bury his son and return to the colony with some story about a dinosaur attack.

He had held out some hope they would find common ground but finally admitted defeat last night while he laid awake not able to sleep as he went over his hand in how their relationship had broken down. He realised that while he was regretful of many things in their shared past and his hand in Ayani's death but knew that there was nothing that could repair the damage. It was all too little too late. They would always disagree with one another and Lucas was filled with too much hatred to ever let go the past.

Hell, even Taylor was stuck with one foot in the past but it he had let go some of the hate he had for himself over the years since Ayani's death and the estrangement from Lucas. He always held out hope that he and Lucas could find some sort of common ground but it was impossible. Lucas didn't want to resolve their differences or have anything to do with him.

In some ways was heartbreaking but in other ways made it easier to revoke Lucas's privileges and treat him as a prisoner as Taylor should have been doing all along. He already knew he would put a stop to Amelia visiting and organise for Lucas to be returned to the brig.

He didn't like that Lucas wasn't even repentant of any of his past actions, not even shooting Alicia. The absence of moral consciousness was disturbing as was his attachment in thinking Amelia was his responsibility to take care of.

"Your choice sir" Guzman said.

"Over here" Lucas said as he directed the soldiers, his purple diagnostics computer was open and active. The fracture to 2152 as it was a few hundred feet from the wreckage of Amelia's old car. He continued to direct the soldiers and within minutes the terminus was placed in the correct position.

"I'll run diagnostics and hand it over to you" Malcolm told Lucas before he moved forward and went to work making sure everything in the terminus was running well within normal parameters.

Lucas had to admit that he liked how efficient Malcolm was as he didn't stop to chit chat just got down to business. Though that could be that no one could stand being in Lucas's presence except for Amelia. Everyone else seemed to tolerate him to a certain extent but then he tolerated their presence so it wasn't like he was being slighted in any way as it was mutual.

He looked over his shoulder at his father who was talking with Guzman. It was probably about him and revoking his very few privileges which meant he would never explain to Amelia how he felt or why they shouldn't be allowed to see one another as he didn't want to hurt her. It was the evitable she would end up hurt if it was him hurting her or her being hurt because she was with him.

He looked back to the holographic screen and analysed the readouts double checking he had the right fracture signature. It seemed to be stronger than previously and wondered how it had grown when fractures only broke down with age.

* * *

"Wow-"

"It's not finished so it's ok to say it's bad" Amelia said making a face as she didn't want to see Alicia's response in case she was faking her enthusiasm.

"No, it's beautiful" Alicia said as she looked at the painting, it was an abstract painting filled with yellows, oranges and reds all grading down to dabs of black. "What is it?" Alicia asked. Amelia looked to Alicia and saw she was actually taken with the artwork and smiled. She moved back and stook next to Alicia to admire her work.

"I don't know, it's an abstract it can be whatever you want it be" Amelia offered as she had no clue what to paint and then when she tried to paint something she botched it badly and the end result was a cover up of that mistake. _At least Alicia's right, from back here it's beautiful…_ Amelia thought.

"Well I love it and I think it would go well in the lounge room when it's finished" Alicia told her.

"Are you going to love everything I paint?" Amelia asked her.

"No but this one kind of reminds me of sunset over a city during a heatwave. Reminds me of the view I had from my old place. Massive heat wave, the air con was broken at least the co scrubbers still worked. I was sweltering in my tiny studio apartment looking out at this view beautiful view of the sunset over the city. I was drinking my very last cold beer just taking in the moment. It was nice" Alicia said with a reminiscent smile.

"Yeah it sounds it" Amelia said with less enthusiasm as it sounded unpleasant to her than sweating in a tiny room with no air con and a cold beer. But then Amelia wasn't a big fan of summer heat waves.

"There isn't a lot of beauty in the future but it had its moments" Alicia assured her. A moment of silence passed between them when Alicia spoke again. "Anyway speaking of beauty I should take you up to a spot in the jungle that overlooks the colony. It's breathtaking" Alicia told her.

"I'd like that" Amelia said as she liked any excuse to leave the colony for break. Though she had to admit.

"Well come on, you need to have a shower as we are eating at Boylan's bar today" Alicia said as she touched Amelia's hair and brought her fingers back to show the paint on her fingers to Amelia.

"Is this my 'Surprise' party? Because I told you I didn't want anything" Amelia told her turning her back to Alicia who gave a roll of her eyes as Amelia was adamant on how to celebrate her birthday and Alicia had kept to her wishes. There was no party, there wasn't going to be any singing only cake. It's just that there will be many cakes as Alicia couldn't remember Amelia specifying what type of cake Amelia wanted.

"I know all you wanted was a cake. We've had this conversation many times and I did not organise anything but the cake" Alicia assured her.

"What about Boylan?" Amelia asked.

"Promises not to cross the woman with the mean left hand slap" Alicia said with a smile. Amelia groaned at the comment and shook her head.

"I'm going to go take a shower" Amelia told her.

* * *

A couple of hours later in the Badlands.

"Oh my god" Malcolm said in fascination as he watched Lucas partially open a fracture in the terminus before them. It was something he thought impossible but it was happening and the fracture though small was stable.

Lucas had received a couple of data bursts through the fracture with updated calculation. When they were combined with his work he was able to open the tiny fracture wide enough for radio transmission.

"The connection is stable, if you want to try your comm." Lucas said to Taylor.

Taylor pulled out his comm. unit and turned it on to the frequency Lucas had told him to earlier. He looked to Guzman as they both were very wary of this venture. They didn't know if they were opening the portal to their people or just opening the door to another invasion. But they were prepared to destroy the fracture with a sonic blast if they had to.

"This is Commander Taylor, does anyone receive this transmission" Taylor said into his comm. He looked to the others while he waited for a response but all he got was static.

"This Commander Nathaniel Taylor, does anyone read me?" Taylor asked, the comm. unit gave a static noise as they waited for a response. He repeated the hail again and waited after a few minutes passed the static cleared and a voice came through loud and clear.

_"This is General St Claire, US Hope Plaza. Do you read me?"_ a female voice asked. Taylor immediately recognised the voice of one of his old comrades Vanessa Fontaine they had served many campaigns but when he had last seen her she had just been promoted to Commander. It was before he came to Terra Nova.

"Yes, I read you loud and clear" Taylor said as the transmission was crystal clear which was odd for their comm. systems to not have interference from the portal.

_"My God Taylor is that really you?"_ St Claire asked he heard the disbelief mixed with joy in her voice.

"Yes it is St Claire. It's been a long time" he told her with a smile on his lips.

"_You have no idea, my friend. It's so good to hear your voice again. We thought we lost Terra Nova for good after Hope Plaza was destroyed"_ She said with a great relief in her voice.

"We are still here. The colony intact" he told her with a smile.

"_There are a lot of people really happy to hear that. Listen my technicians are working hard to maintain a stable connection to the fracture on our side, but I want to send something through to you_" She told him. He could hear the cheering in the background it was indeed good news to the future they had contact. He wondered if it was an act, if St Claire was on Lucas's side, that it was an act who made General in such a low amount of years. It made him suspicious but he wasn't ready to destroy the fracture on a few discrepencies but he was definitely going to talk with Jim about his ideas of a contingency plan incase this was a version of a Trojan horse.

"As long as it isn't a person I'm sure it should be fine" Taylor said, he heard St Claire chuckle and he watched as the portal lit up and slowly a bottle of Scotch was being held by the neck by a woman's hand come through the portal. He saw the class ring on the ring finger of the hand and knew it was St Claire's as he remembered her telling him about her sisters in arms who wore the ring as a symbol of their lifetime bond and friendship.

_"I'd appreciate you take this bottle as celebration of our mutual survival_" She said over the comm. _"And to take it quickly as I don't want to lose my hand"_ she added.

Taylor stepped forward and grabbed the bottle from the hand and it disappeared back through the portal. He looked down at the bottle at the label noting it was the same bottle of scotch he had given her when she was promoted to Commander. It still had the card on it's neck with his message of 'Every Commander needs a good scotch to unwind with every once and awhile. Welcome to the ranks'

"You know re-gifting is bad form" he remarked in an amused tone.

_"It's not a gift, I intend to drink you under the table when I come through to inspect Terra Nova"_ she told him.

* * *

**TBC-**_ Cya all next time and always thank you for the reviews!  
_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Well I can't say you didn't keep your word" Amelia said in shock as there were 19 different types of cakes placed on a long table to the side of the bar. There were no signs of any other birthday paraphernalia or a crowd to say happy birthday which pleased Amelia even though she was overwhelmed by the amount of cake on the table.

"Well I couldn't remember if you had a preference and then I figure it was easier to just get 19. One for every year of your life and an extra for good luck" Alicia told her with a smug smile.

"Of course but you don't expect me to eat all this right?" Amelia asked her as she was sure she would go into a 'cake' coma for a year or violently ill.

"At least a sliver of every cake" Alicia said as she made the hand gesture for a small amount.

"I'll be sick" Amelia told her dreading the idea of eating so much cake.

"After two and half litres of sorbet I would think 19 slices of cake will be a breeze" Boylan said as he came out from around the bar. He turned Amelia away from the table to the corner of the room and pointed to an empty table. "That is your table for day, you just give a shout if you want anything my staff are at your service" he told her.

"Thank you" Amelia said.

"You're welcome. We were going to do it at home but Boylan had to work and honestly what we don't eat. Other people will volunteer for free cake." Alicia said and it was as if she said it with a cue card as a woman about 5 ft 5' with dark brown skin and curly hair walked up she wore a grey singlet top and brown pants with zipper pockets and black calf high boots. Amelia noted the dog tags around her neck and knew the woman was obviously a soldier off duty.

"Hey, I heard there was free cake this it?" She asked with an open smile as she eyed the table.

"And it starts" Alicia said to Amelia before she tapped the woman on the side of the arm getting her attention. "Laura you've met Amelia haven't you?" Alicia asked her. Reilly turned her attention to Amelia and looked her over making Amelia feel slightly self conscious in her paint stained camo pants and off the shoulder top. That was until the woman smiled as if she approved and looked Amelia square in the eyes and held out her left hand.

"No, nice to meet you. So what's with all the free cake?" Reilly asked them as she shook hands with Amelia.

"It's my birthday" Amelia said as she knew Alicia would tell her anyway. Reilly leaned back and her smile grew wider.

"Happy Birthday" She said.

"Thanks" Amelia said.

"You know traditionally there are candles, singing and cutting of the cake right?" Reilly asked her.

"So I've been told but I don't-" Amelia didn't get to finish her sentence before Reilly turned to the room and wolf whistled getting the room's attention. Which was mainly soldiers as most colonist didn't come in until dinner time after the soldiers left for the mess.

"Yo! listen up this here is my new girl Amelia" Laura shouted to the room as she moved behind Amelia and placed her hands on her shoulders. "And it's her birthday which means someone is gonna find me candles and a spare lighter as mine is outta gas. ASAP" Reilly told them. Amelia felt like she was a lovely shade of red as she looked to Alicia who gave a shrug that said 'I didn't organise this'. Amelia watched the soldiers in the room check their pockets and within minutes Reilly and Alicia stuck candles into a cake and a lighter was supplied.

"Amelia doesn't want the singing or the birthday stuff" Alicia told Reilly, the woman looked at Amelia like she was crazy.

"Why not? Birthdays are the best. The horrible singing, the cake and the partying" Reilly said her eyes lighting up with excitement as she lit the candles.

"My family don't do holidays or birthdays" Amelia said.

"Oh that has gotta-well is going to change" Laura said with a wicked smile as she was going to make sure Amelia was going to have a good time as she wasn't the only one who had seen how lonely and sad the girl was. Sure she wasn't going to fix the girl's problems but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and be her friend.

* * *

"Dunham, if I don't tell her all the embarrassing stories now when will you find the time to tell her all your heroic adventures?" Reilly asked with a smile as she ate a bite of cake. Amelia wiped a tear from her eyes as she hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. Her birthday while not how she wanted it be had turned out better than she had thought it would. she had spent the last two hours consuming cake, laughing and having a good time it probably helped that she was surrounded by people who were not weighed down by life.

She sat at her table with Alicia to her left and Reilly to her right, she sat and listened to Alicia and Reilly's stories of stupid and mildly amusing incidents about what happened around the colony. Dunham had arrived half an hour ago after he came off duty to wish her happy birthday and stayed much to the damage to his ego as Reilly and every soldier at their table had a story about something stupid he did. He sat opposite her with a red neck from embarrasment.

"I have better things to discuss than rehashing history and anyway that's Mark's spiel. I'd hate to borrow another guy's act" Dunham said with a shrug trying to be cool even though there was no way to recover from the roasting Reilly had given him.

"Awwh, go get us drinks" Reilly ordered him with a smile.

"Yes Ma'am" Dunham said taking the break probably in the hopes the women would find another topic of conversation.

"Are you really allowed to order him around like that when you're off duty?" Amelia asked.

"No, but he still does what I tell him" Reilly said with a smile as she finished her cider placing the empty cup on the table.

"So you and him?" Amelia asked inferring Reilly and Dunham were a couple. Alicia choked on her drink but recovered quickly before looking at Reilly with a smile. Amelia felt lost.

"No" Reilly said laughing and shaking her head. "He's not my type. My type is strong, caring, funny, has a great body and is female" Reilly told her with a wide grin. Amelia gave nod as she processed the information not that it bothered her she just didn't know how to reply to that.

"Cool" Amelia said she knew it was a lame response but then she really didn't want to remain silent and have Reilly think she disapproved.

"So Don't worry I'm not the competition. If anything my goal is to help you by taking the competition out" Reilly assured her. Amelia realised that now Reilly was assuming Amelia was interested in Dunham.

"What? Oh no I'm not interested-" Amelia started but Reilly cut her off. She leaned forward so she wouldn't be overheard and spoke to Amelia.

"Don't tell me you're all tied up in Lucas Taylor" Reilly said in a low and serious voice.

"I'm not" Amelia lied.

"Good because you can do better" Reilly told her sitting back in her chair.

"You barely know me" Amelia said.

"I know enough that you don't deserve to drag through the mud with his history. Don't get rear up at me because I'm only being honest with you which is more than some people will be. This Colony, these people are harsh in their opinions do you want to spend the rest of your life apologising for his mistakes?" Reilly asked her.

"We're not like that" Amelia said she darted a look to Alicia who was decidedly quiet on the subject.

"An association with Lucas Taylor is like that. Look at Commander Taylor, the man was so proud to bring his son through the portal and you know Lucas was all smiles and 'hey dad' when they were estranged for years" Reilly stopped to take a drink "Then Lucas disappeared in the jungle and Taylor searched for him for years then Lucas pops up again and what does he do he brings hell down on this colony and for what? For some stupid revenge 'let's stick it to the old man' deal. We all get our asses burned because Taylor and Lucas couldn't deal with their family issues privately like everyone else. The point being is that Taylor's going to spend the rest of his life apologising for Lucas's actions. I think-" Reilly stopped and smiled as Dunham had returned with the drinks.

"Hey you guys looked pretty serious over here" Dunham said.

"I'm just trying to steal your girlfriend" Reilly said as she slung an arm around Amelia's shoulder. Amelia was grateful for the change of topic a she didn't want to hear anyone else's opinions about Lucas but to be fair Reilly hadn't come out and blamed Lucas entirely she shared the blame between Taylor and Lucas which made her wonder what exactly began all of it. Dunham looked flustered and Amelis felt for him as Reilly knew all theright buttons to push with him.

"Amelia isn't my girlfriend. I mean she's a girl and my friend well I hope" he fumbled over his explanation as the three women looked at him.

"Shut up Dunham you're digging yourself a grave" Alicia told him as she stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go visit Carter and give him some cake" She said, Amelia was amazed that Alicia hadn't cut in to defend Reilly's assessment of the situation. She hadn't said anything at all which said to Amelia that Alicia agreed with the assessment.

* * *

"You here to break up with me?" Carter asked as he got to his feet, Alicia had stepped in front of his cell room on the other side of the glass. He had been doing push ups without a shirt on. Something she would normally roll her eyes at as it was cliché but then she didn't mind as he was shirtless and in great shape. It was a shame he had spoiled it by opening his mouth. She scowled at him.

"Don't be an asshole, I'm here to see you and give you cake but maybe I won't give you the cake." Alicia said as she held up the paper plate with several tiny slices of cake on it.

"Is it poisoned?" Carter asked her, this time she did roll her eyes.

"Yes, because I figure it's easier to kill you than break up with you" Alicia said dryly as she picked a slice of the cake and ate it in front of him before she offered it to him through the small open window.

"I haven't seen you in a couple of weeks" he said as he took the plate from her and inspected the cake deciding which cake he would try first.

"I've been working nights and sleeping during the days. Though considering what you said to me last time I figured we could use the time to cool our tempers" Alicia said.

"So I could feel guilty about it?" Carter asked as he ate some of the chocolate cake first.

"Are you even capable of feeling guilt?" Alicia asked him as she moved in close and pressed her hands against the glass wall. She hated how their conversation could be heard by everyone else but it wasn't like she had the rank or privileges to pull him out for a lover's spat.

"I may be amoral about a lot of things but that doesn't mean that I don't feel" he told her as he placed the cake on the bed and looked at her giving his whole attention to her.

"Really? Then why are you pushing me away?" Alicia asked him in a low voice, he groaned in frustration.

"Come on Leesh I'm in here 24/7 and you're out there-"

"Oh great here we go again. You're going to tell me that our 'time' together was 'really nice' but you got better things to do than 'get tied down' with me" Alicia said dryly as it was all the lines he had used on her for years. "I thought we were past this! You told me; no more games this time we were going to give ourselves a real shot-"

"I don't see how we can have a relationship with 50 millimetres of glass between us" Carter said honestly as he cut her off. Alicia smacked the glass wall and stepped back to cool down as she ready to reach through the wall and strangle him. She looked to the soldiers on duty who were watching her and she shook her head before moving to the partition between her and Carter.

"Ok let me get this straight. You only want me when you're free and able to throw a leg over. That everything you said to me was just sweet talk to get me in sack and what? laugh about how much of a fool I am behind my back with your sixer buddies?" Alicia asked him.

"It's not like that" he started but she didn't want to hear his excuses.

"Yeah I'm not going to listen to you twist this back on me so you are blameless. God! I'm such an idiot to believe that we actually meant something and this time was it. But no, it's just you pulling all my strings so you get what you want. You're worse than Taylor" Alicia told him as tears clouded her vision.

"Don't compare me to him" Carter spat at her angrily.

"You leave me, you come back and get my hopes up then you leave me again when it gets too hard or when you can't handle being the man I know you can be and not this lazy jerk you choose to be." Alicia told him.

"We do-did have a chance and you're the one who blew it"

"Oh so now it's my fault you decided to be stupid and get knee deep in this bullshit and end up in jail. Are you ever going to take responsibility for anything?!" Alicia asked him.

"I'm here aren't I? I'm just saying we were happy in the jungle and look at us now. Don't get me wrong but I wanted this to work out and for us to settle down have a couple of kids." Carter said.

"Kids" Alicia said shocked he would pull such a low blow on her as he knew she couldn't have kids but the way he spoke it was like it completely slipped his mind. He painted the merry picture she had dreamed about for years, of course she wanted children but that's what they were. They were just dreams that would never come true which she fully accepted because in her late twenties had developed an aggressive form endometriosis.

She wasn't infertile but the doctors stressed that to her chances of conceiving a child naturally were incredibly low. She knew it herself when she saw the scans and with her own medical knowledge also knew she would never have the money to afford IVF for when she wanted to have kids even if she saved every dollar and penny she earned. The news had been incredibly crushing.

Carter and she had been in their 'on' stage of their relationship. He had been in marines and stationed nearby and their relationship she felt had potential to last. Something she always felt and was wrong about because when she had told him of her news, two weeks later he had not only left her again but went AWOL. It had been a rough couple of months in and out of surgery and in her grief of lost dreams and her feelings of inadequacy as a woman she made the decision to dedicate her life fully to the Military as she could give them everything they wanted. Be the soldier they needed her to be.

Tears stung her eyes as pulled her attention back to Carter who was wistfully telling her about a fanciful life they wouldn't have. She gave a siff and lifted her chin as she blinked back the tears.

"You keep saying you don't want them but I know better and I'm thinking at least 3" Carter told her in a teasing manner. His words sliced like through her like a knife even if he had no clue he was hurting her.

"It's like you only remember things the way you want them to be. I never said I didn't want children I told you I couldn't or did you forget when you visited me in the military hospital in Frankfurt? Or that time you popped in my doctor's appointment in Washington 7 years ago before I left to come to Terra Nova?" She asked him, Carter had dropped in on her doctor's appointment and joked she was hiding a pregnancy only for her to have to remind him of her condition and the only she was having was a cyst removed. His face fell as he realised he was an ass just like it was now.

"Leesh, shit" he said dropping his head. Alicia gave a sardonic laugh.

"Yeah sums up my life pretty well but don't worry about it, consider us finished and don't bother me again because I won't be with a man who pities me" She started to walk away tears in her eyes but stopped and turned around "Oh and one other thing if you manage to wriggle your way out of this situation as you do all the others. Just go back to 2150 and forget about me. Find a nice girl and settle down and have your little family and be happy instead of messing it up" She told him and with that she turned on her feet and walked away for the first time she walked away from him.

* * *

"The connection has been stable for over 10 hours. I think we can call this a success" Lucas said as he was bored and incredibly hot as they had been sitting in the rover in the Badlands all day while Malcolm and Guzman had returned to the outer rim where it was cooler in the jungle.

Lucas was pretty sure his father was torturing him by making him suffer by watching the read outs for the Terminus in the dead heat and the stench of them perspiring as the Rover slowly roasted them.

"She said twelve hours before we make contact again and then we'll discuss future test dates and organise for a dedicated team out here with accom0dations set up" Taylor said. Lucas wondered how his father could sit comfortably in the driver's side like it were a balmy 24 degrees day when in fact it was 43 degrees.

"I amazed you haven't sabotaged this. You realise General St Claire out ranks you" Lucas said stating the obvious.

"Yes, I do realise this but she is in charge of the base in the future, the post I hold is not for a General as there are not large enough population to govern" Commander Taylor informed him. He knew it was a risk opening the portal being 'de-throned' as Lucas so dramatically put it but even if Taylor was kicked out of the big chair it didn't mean he couldn't retire and run for the Colony as a voted in Civilian Leader. His position in the Colony was solid whether he wore a uniform or not he would lead this colony because people wanted him to.

The main reason he had agreed to opening the portal was that Malcolm had told him many weeks ago that the number of Colonists was not enough to sustain the human race for multiple. The human race would apparently die out and the only way to fix the problem was to increase their numbers which was why it was more advantageous to re-open the portal and take their chances.

He knew he would have to change some laws to introduce incentives for people to have more children but he wasn't ready for that furore there were also other benefits in re-opening the portal which meant they could be restocked with promethium cores and medical supplies. He planned to over order and that way make a healthy stockpile so when they permanently sealed the fracture they would be better prepared instead of roughing it like they had the last few months. At least that's how Malcolm liked to believe the last few months felt like but then he and the other scientists were spoiled.

"That could change" Lucas said.

"Many things always change." Taylor remarked dryly as he found the discussion pointless. He opened his water canteen and took a swig. "I want this terminus shut down at the twelve hour mark, I'll leave Malcolm and Guzman out here while we return to the colony and give the good news." Taylor said.

* * *

"Hey, Carter says 'Happy Birthday'. What did I miss?" Alicia asked as re took her seat next to Amelia at the table with a cup of liquor she wanted to get blind drunk and forget about how Carter unintentionally rubbed salt in her wounds and how rock bottom her life felt in that moment. She didn't want to be that woman who kept feeling inadequate and always measuring up short. She clearly was under too many misassumptions about her relationship with Carter.

"Not much, we were talking about the portal being reopened and what it'll mean for us and our little colony" Reilly answered as she eyed Alicia it was like the woman could read her mind as Reilly offered a sympathetic smile that was missed by Amelia who had been momentarily distracted by the noise of Josh Shannon dropping a bottle of liquor. A couple soldiers called out 'Taxi' which was followed by a few laughs and clapping.

"It'll mean more pilgrimages, more supplies" Alicia said.

"If it's the good guys this time" Dunham said.

"Yes that is the question of the hour" Alicia drawled before she took a sip of her drink.

"Upside I'll be old news right?" Amelia asked them. The three looked her and gave it some thought before Alicia spoke.

"In some respects yes. I think we should both keep our heads as low as possible" Alicia said before she took a sip of her drink.

"Something I should know?" Amelia asked as she knew Alicia was referring to them not Reilly or Dunham.

"The General in charge back in 2150 is not a fan of mine and you'll probably be brought in to discuss your association with Lucas" Alicia added with a sigh as she placed her cup on the table and rubbed hand down her face.

"Are you ok?" Amelia asked her, she could help but feel Alicia's demanour was a little sour than it was before she left to visit Carter. Alicia gave a closed lip smile.

"I'm fine, you guys want some more cake?" Alicia asked as she was definitely in the mood for more dessert. If she wouldn't allow herself to get drunk she was definitely going punish herself with more cake.

"I'm good" Reilly said while Dunham shook his head.

"I'll have more of the chocolate mint one" Amelia said.

* * *

A few days later, Amelia was halfway through another piece that were made up of shades of black and blue, she wasn't trying to be exact or anything in particular other than putting colours on the canvas. She wasn't even sure where her drive was coming from to paint but it seemed every time she picked up the brush her mind would shut up and the world would disappear and she was just in her own peaceful headspace.

While she didn't think her artwork was anything special it was hers as was the time she used painting she didn't feel like she was letting anyone down. She liked not having that pressure on her to work so hard. In fact it was great, everything was a bit brighter in her life.

It helped she was no longer the topic of gossip as the colony was too busy speculating about the fracture being open and Lucas being out in the Badlands with Taylor. They still hadn't come back and many people were starting to worry even though teams of scientists, soldiers and supplies were being sent out there on a rotating basis.

All of the news made her think about Lucas and how he was going even though she shouldn't care. He rejected her, he didn't want her something that made her mentally kick herself on a daily basis as she should just move on and get over her feelings for him. It wasn't like he was the only guy in the colony and Reilly had been right about Dunham he definitely liked her as more than a friend but he didn't make any moves on her.

Something she was grateful for as he was giving her space she needed to be comfortable with herself and being in the colony and the patience of not forcing anything but friendship on her. He seemed truly genuine in wanting to know about her and it was nice to not feel any pressure.

Amelia heard the front door open and Alicia walking into the studio a second later. She was the only one who was allowed into Amelia's 'sanctuary' as Boylan called it.

"Good morning" Alicia said.

"Don't you mean afternoon?" Amelia asked as she looked at her watch.

"It's morning for me" Alicia said she had been pulling night shifts for the past week so Amelia only saw her at breakfast and when she stopped by to see Amelia's work in progress in the now dedicated studio.

"True, hey are you ok?" Amelia asked her.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"It's just that since my birthday you've been kind of down" Amelia said. 'Kind of Down' didn't really cover how Alicia had been but then Amelia didn't want to come right out and say it.

"It's just body clock adjustment issues with working through the night. I'm more of a 'day' person. This is interesting" Alicia told her as she gestured to the piece Amelia was working on. Amelia knew Alicia was changing the topic because she didn't want to talk about herself which meant something was going on with her. Amelia was not one to pry so she turned to her piece.

"Yeah I don't know blue just seems to be my thing today" Amelia told her.

"Kind of looks like the event horizon or a fracture when it's opened" Alicia remarked as she continued to look at the piece.

"I wouldn't know I've never seen one" Amelia said as she plied more blue paint to the canvas.

"You had to of seen one otherwise you wouldn't be here" Alicia told her.

"I was momentarily blinded by lightening before I crashed my car in the badlands" Amelia said. It felt like it had happened years ago and not months, she wondered sometimes about her family and looking them up in the archives of the 'eye' she had heard so much about was afraid to know what answers she would get.

Did her brother end up killed in Action? Did he meet woman finally settle down and have that kids he always joked about corrupting? What did her mother do after she went 'missing'? Did she keep searching for Amelia or just move on with her life? So many questions, so many fears and she didn't want the responsibility of knowing because what if they ended up miserable because they couldn't grieve her death as she was technically 'missing'.

"Hey, do you want to grab an early dinner with me before I go on shift?" Alicia asked her, cutting through Amelia's morose thoughts. Amelia gave a nod pushing her thoughts away.

"Sure just let me clean up" Amelia said.

* * *

_TBC- Thank yous for the reviews and Cya all soon and I know not a lot of Lucas this time but he'll be in the next chapter more prominently so please be patient and not flame me lol! :-)_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

* * *

In 2157, in a bunker located under Chicago City.

"Are you sure you want to go through St. Claire?" Mr Richards asked raising his blonde eye brows questioningly at St Claire. He was in his late 30's and wore an immaculately cut suit.

"Of course, I know the score and the people on the other side. I can establish a foothold on the colony with my rank alone. Once we have control of the fracture we'll start pulling more soldiers through. Our think tank believes we can have the colony retaken once we have outnumber the colonists and the soldiers have to follow our orders we are their government" St Claire said as she sat comfortably back in her chair to the left of Mr Richards.

He was the Governor of prefectures in the coalition. He was the highest government official but only because she allowed him the privilege. She and Mr Richards had an agreement that while they made a show that they had an equal partnership and she maintained an image of being second in command but privately they both knew she was in charge of the small coalition and she pulled the strings since it was her who had formed during the last 5 years. It kept the civilian population in their domain under control knowing they had representatives in power even if it was all just a beautiful fascade.

"How long will this take?" he asked her, the questions were more for the other coalition leaders and for show ponying so everyone knew what they were signing their soldiers and what little resources to.

"A month to take the colony, we want to do it slowly that way there will be less collateral damage to the Colony. We want to make the transition as seamless as possible. I suggest we bring the women and children through first to Terra Nova, then the soldiers so we appear more peaceful. Then we bring in the soldiers in staggered stages. Dr Covington and I will oversee the harvesting of necessary human and mineral resources of the colony to send back to here where you will all continue your half of the work" St Claire told them.

"Good, Dr Covington I assume you have a person on the other side who has been cataloguing the women" the governor asked as he looked to the man at the other side of the u shaped table opposite to St Claire. Dr Covington gave a tilt of the head.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to sharing our advancements in medicine and human cloning with my colleague Dr Canzales. I know with more pure and healthier the human tissue our clone soldiers will be far more superior than our enemies and we'll be able to maturate them at a faster rate-"

"I don't need the details as I have read your report. You say it will only take at least two months to harvest what we need to clone a new army in.." The governor opened his plex "3 week turnaround" he said everyone's eyes went wide as the fast turnaround as it meant the war would be over a lot sooner than they had estimated.

"Yes, with the human tissue in combination maturation chambers powered with meteoric ore I can guarantee we'll turn out a Division of clone soldiers by the end of the three months if not sooner. It all comes down to the quality of genetic material" Dr Covington said comfortably from his chair.

Once upon a time he would have been jailed for his research but now in the post apocolyptic world and war they were fighting they needed every they could use. It was all about surviving long enough and taking control of the last remaining country states which mean they needed more bodies on the ground. Clone soldiers while an abomination religiously speaking did yeild more results than continuously dropping bombs on their enemies bunkers. Hence Dr Covington was in a position of great importance as he was the man who developed the technology.

"Excellent. What about the sixers and the left over Phoenix soldiers?" A woman in a well tailored suit asked speaking up for the first time. She was an inferior politician from a smaller prefecture state within their coalition. She looked St Claire with an expectant look.

"We'll bring the Phoenix soldiers back here but the Sixers still have valuable intel on the lay of the land and mining areas. I want to keep them on hand in Terra Nova" St Claire said, the lines between friends and foe were trully blurred in the case of Terra Nova. The sixers had been sent back to start stock piling ore and mapping the regions while maintaining key positions in the colony so when the two way connection was made between Terra Nova and the future they could easily overthrow Taylor's seat. Of course it hadn't gone like that as St Claire found out from the communiques from the Terra Nova. Taylor had stumbled onto their plan, the downside of putting someone entirely too righteous and moral minded into power.

He had become brainwashed by the propaganda of Terra Nova being a fresh start for civilisation and maintaining that mission statement. What happened the following years in Terra Nova exactly were a mystery as the Sixers didn't give details but Taylor had discovered parts of the plot and banished the Sixers to the Jungle. She also knew that General Philbrick had gone to Terra Nova to try and take over Taylor's command only to end up being killed by Taylor which led to Taylor banishing his own son to the Jungle for 5 years for attempting a coup. Then the subsequent occupation of the colony and the destruction of Hope Plaza nothing had worked in their favour as that one terrorist act sent the future in a tail spin.

St Claire knew it was not going to be easy for St Claire as she would have to go in a keep a balance between keeping Taylor on her side but also asserting her position. Slowly redirecting the Colony's resources and energies to helping the future and finishing the war they werein once and for all. They needed to finish the war and to win and for that they needed Terra Nova.

"Sounds like you have everything planned out" The woman in the suit drawled.

"Yes, I want this to go as smoothly as possible without ruffling too many feathers. The Phoenix Soldiers failed in their attempt to the Colony. I will not" St Claire said firmly.

* * *

A few days later in Terra Nova,

"Heard I missed out on a good tiff between you and Carter" Taylor said Alicia as they were playing a game of chess on the balcony of the Command Centre. It was a beautiful day as the sun shined down on the colony and a gentle breeze blew by. They had started playing chess to socialise without any pressure on trying to be friends as it was a game that talking was optional. Taylor looked over at Alicia not able to keep his eyes off her as she looked relaxed in skin tight dark brown jeans with black baggy boots and white v-neck t shirt with her hair loose around her shoulders.

He was still used to her being in BDUs and her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail as they rarely used to relax enough to be used to seeing her looking as she did now. when they did relax it was usually after a shift and thus she never changed or pulled her hair out. He wished he had given her more time to do so.

"Gee if you were so interested in it you could always rewind the security feed and watch it yourself" Alicia drawled rather darkly as she watched him make his play on the board.

"You ok?" he asked concern in his voice made her look up for a moment. She gave a half smile and a shrug.

"Fine, nothing that hasn't happened to me before" Alicia said not making eye contact as she moved a piece on the board. "So I hear that we are getting new visitors in the next few days" Alicia added smoothly to change the conversation.

"We are. You remember St. Claire, your old CO?" he asked knowing it was a stupid question. Alicia remembered everything.

"Yes" She answered not betraying any emotions as she made her move on the board. She had wished that the fracture never ever existed actually no she hoped the fracture would collapse as soon as St Claire tried to walk through and thus she would be crushed to death. Alicia knew it was pretty bad to wish such a horrible fate on a person but then St Claire deserved nothing less.

"She's coming through with a dignitary party tomorrow night" Taylor said watching her closely to see how she was taking it all in.

"Dignitary?" Alicia asked as it had been a while since anyone threw around such formal words. It made her want to laugh of course the woman would want to come in with an entourage of worshippers.

"Yes, apparently a couple of doctors, an engineer and a politician I don't know and his personal assistants." Taylor said he couldn't keep the contempt from his tone as he hated politicians.

"God forbid a politician travel somewhere alone" Alicia said richly as a smile played on her lips. Taylor chuckled.

"I know, they already have an itinerary and schedule for the next 6 months to bring in women and children from the other side as well as supplies and reinforcements so our soldiers can finally get some R&R" Taylor said as he made his move on the chess board.

"Well I guess it's all good times from here on out. Check" Alicia told him as she finished her move.

"We'll see" Taylor said he was about to touch a piece when Alicia shook her head and made a noise of disapproval. "It's not Checkmate. Can't be.." he said in disbelief as he looked down at the board wondering how he had missed her move.

"Afraid so" Alicia told him in a smug tone. She picked up her cup and took sip of the water wishing it was something stronger. Why couldn't she just have one little slice of good news for her to clutch onto that wasn't as cliche as 'you're alive and safe'.

"How many games is that? Four to you?" Taylor asked looking at her.

"Five" She corrected him with slightest of smiles playing on her lips.

"Why do I feel like you've been letting me win all these years?" Taylor asked her his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Maybe I'm just having a lucky streak" Alicia told him in a dry tone as it felt far from the truth as she could get in regards to her life.

"Another game?" he asked her, not wanting to give up until he won at least two games. He also enjoyed her company even if her constand winning was making hiscompetitive side rear it's ugly head.

"No, I really have to get home and feed Amelia" Alicia said as she looked over her shoulder, judging by the lack of crowds she assumed it was close to lunch. She knew Amelia would be painting and forget to stop for food, hence Alicia had become a bit of a mother hen around the girl making sure she ate her three meals a day and socialised otherwise the girl would probably spend her whole life in doors covered in paint smudges painting away.

"How is she?" Taylor asked.

"Good, her recovery is going well and she's been painting a lot" Alicia told him, Taylor always asked about Amelia when they crossed paths. She liked how he showed genuine interest and concern instead of making it seem like a social nicety.

"Anything worth hanging?" he asked, Alicia chuckled.

"Depends on your tastes and considering you have none-"

"Geez give me a break I do have some taste" Taylor said pretending to be wounded by her comment.

"Right, well I don't know anything about art but I like what's she's painted. Though I don't know where we are going to hang them all as there is only so much wall space" Alicia said with a wry smile.

"Should convince her to showcase at the Winter Festival in a couple of weeks" Taylor told her as he reset the pieces on the board.

"I mentioned it to her but I don't know. We'll see" Alicia said. The fact was that is slipped her mind but now Taylor reminded her she was would talk to Amelia about it as Alicia was sure some of her pieces would sell and all it would take is for Adriana the art coordinator for the festival and the stall owner who sold supplies in the market to look over Amelia's work.

* * *

"I can't believe we are stockpiling weapons and food like some war is coming our way. This feels incredibly wrong" Boylan said to Alicia in a low voice as they had been going out into the jungle every morning around 2am ever since Alicia heard St Claire was coming to Terra Nova. Today was no different, except that Alicia had to get back to the colony and see Taylor off at 5 am so they had to hussle.

"When did you grow a moral centre?" Alicia asked Boylan in a jovial manner. She had to admit all their slinking under the radar had given them time to bond in a way Alicia never thought. They had of course served together for many years and while they had a mutual respect they didn't quite have the friendship they did now since they lived under the same roof and had Amelia as their shared duty to keep happy and safe.

"Hey I have morals they are just a little looser than other people's" Boylan told her.

"are you saying your morals are slutty?" Alicia drawled in a dry manner as she looked over her shoulder at him. Boylan gave her his classic smile.

"Yes, I'm very slutty- I mean my morals are slutty" he said she didn't have to look over her shoulder to know he was grinning from ear to ear. For everything Boylan was and wasn't there was some comfort in knowing he had her back even if they hadn't always been on the same page. Alicia realised he was a good friend.

"Anyway you didn't serve under St Claire. I did, so I know this is necessary" Alicia told him as they continued to go through the jungle to one of their many secret caches.

"You know I am curious as to what happened between you and her. Hell everyone who knew you served with her is talking about it." Boylan said.

"And you'll continue to be curious as it's history I'm not rehashing" Alicia said as she would never tell anyone what happened between her and St Claire if she didn't have to.

"I guess this means you won't tell me how you got your hands on this stuff either" Boylan asked in a deflated tone.

"That's right" She answered a little smugly as she and Boylan could have gotten rich off all the supplies and equipment they were pilfering. She promised herself it wasn't really stealing just relocating the items temporarily.

"Hey on another note I heard about you and Carter" Boylan said.

"Great, it happened a few days ago. Who doesn't know that bit of old news and why are you bringing it up now?" Alicia asked sarcastically even after a few days it still stung to hear his name and remember what happened.

"Because I only remembered now and I wanted to say I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. I know how much you wanted it to and if you want to get completely blind drunk at the bar. I'll carry you home and not try a thing" Boylan offered.

"Really?" Alicia asked sceptically, she had no desire to make more of an ass of herself than she had. Getting drunk in Boylan's bar and then being carried home sounded like the equivalent of hitting whatever was below rock bottom.

"Promise I'll just tuck you in and leave a bucket by the bed" he told her, she could hear his smile.

"Such a gentleman" Alicia drawled.

"That's what Lisa tells me that is until we get behind closed doors and then I'm a very naughty man" Boylan joked.

"I don't want to know the details" Alicia groaned.

"Why? Afraid it might awaken some deeply buried desire you have for me?" Boylan asked in a teasing manner, Boylan might have a sense of humour he just didn't tick all of her boxes.

"No, but it does remind me that I should teach Amelia how to fight with knives" Alicia told him in a thoughtful manner as she looked over her shoulder to see Boylan's smile fall a notch.

"Do I want to know how you made those connections?" Boylan asked her.

"No" She said innocently as she made sure to use the right amount of intonation so he assumed the worse.

* * *

Taylor stood in the Badlands in the dead of night, the temperature was a chilling 10 degrees but it was far more comfortable than during the daylight hours. He wore his Black BDUs with the jacket zipped to neck. They were the only formal dress wear he had. He looked to Guzman who was in dark green version of the same uniform denoting his NCO status. He wished Alicia were standing beside him as he felt her absence greatly.

He brought four rhinos and a small welcoming party of soldiers and medical team on hand for the arrivals in case they had any trouble acclimating to the oxygen rich environment. They had set up flood lights on the Terminus and a couple tents to welcome the group through and for any medical emergency that might arise.

Lucas and Malcolm stood to the side conversing about the Terminus or so he assumed as he couldn't hear what they were saying as they spoke in soft voices. The two worked well together even if Malcolm was incredibly cold about it but he still maintained his professionalism.

Malcolm looked up and gave the thumbs up as signal they were good to go. Taylor looked at his comm. and noted the time. He slowly counted down the seconds and right on time the Terminus activated.

He squinted at the bright light emitting from the portal. A few seconds later a woman 5 ft 9 stepped through, Taylor recognised her immediately as St Claire. Her red hair was immaculately quaffed back into sleek chignon design at the base of her neck. She wore a black beret on her head and Dress uniform. He noted the subtle differences in her dress uniform since the last time they met. She had garnered herself a nice fruit bowl of medals that hung nicely on the chest of her jacket. The General pips on the collar of her gleamed in the light of the Portal.

She walked up to him keeping her face passive, her green eyes surveying the area with a cold detachment before landing on him. He closed the space between them and stood to attention. He saluted her showing respect and deference to her rank.

"At ease Commander" She told him, he'd forgotten how dry and haughty her voice sounded in real life. He quelled the smile as he thought of how he used to tease her about how smoking was destroying her voice. But she always argued that a bullet would get her before the cigarettes and cigars did. He relaxed his stance and continued to surreptitiously look her over noticing she had more lines on her face than he remembered.

"General St. Claire, Welcome to Terra Nova" Taylor told her.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Thank you, Commander" St Claire said looking him over for a moment before she turned to face the portal. A few minutes later the rest of her party and couple pallets of supplies came through the portal.

St Claire made the introductions and Taylor went through obligatory social niceties of shaking hands with people he honestly didn't care to know. He inwardly hated standing on such ceremony like this.

He was introduced to St Claire's second in Command; Major Hideaki Sagara, Taylor knew the man well as Sagara and Alicia had history together. He noted the fruit bowl of medals on his jacket and the scars on the side of his face and neck that he didn't have the last time they had spoken. It looked like he had seen better days as he stood stiff beside his commanding officer overlooking the area.

St Claire continued down the line to a Dr Covington a man in his early thirties, 5 ft 8 with light brown hair and pale skin and a lanky build. Even with his lanky build he stood proud and tall in a nicely tailored suit with a brief case. In fact the man was better dressed than his associates and even the so called Politician who stood last in line.

"And this is Mr Richards, he's the Governor of the Coalition" St Claire told Taylor.

"Coalition?" Taylor asked as he wasn't sure he heard her right. When he left there was a country with a democratic government and a president.

"A lot has changed since the fracture to Terra Nova collapsed 7 years ago" St Claire remarked holding his gaze for a moment before flickering it over to Lucas briefly. It dawned on Taylor that he had been had by his own son yet again and now wondered what was going to happen.

"Of course" Taylor murmured, though he had thought the fracture they had opened was to 2150, suddenly the slight differences in the uniform and the changes in St Claire's face made sense they had tapped into the future he had no clue about. 7 years had put lines on her face and changed the government he served, his gut twisted as he didn't like being hoodwinked.

"Which I'll bring you up to speed on with Mr Richards after we are settled into the Colony" St Claire said.

"Of course General, are we expecting anyone more through the portal?" Taylor asked.

"No, this is it for now" St Claire said with smile.

* * *

"I understand that you're all excited about this but I don't feel it" Amelia said to Maddy as she scrubbed off dried paint from the back of her hand.

"It just comforting that we're not alone. Plus we'll be able to get more medical and technology supplies. The whole colony runs on promethium cores but supplies are low, hopefully not for long" Maddy said in an excited tone. Now Amelia could understand her excitement of that as Maddy went through Promethium cores like it was going out of fashion.

"Shouldn't there be someone who can make them or a machine?" Amelia asked.

"A machine and the parts for that purpose was supposed to come through on the 11th pilgrimage" Alicia said as she joined them at the back of the crowd. She looked at the scene before her.

Guzman he had arrived ahead of the group on a motorcycle and was shouting orders having all the soldiers who weren't on duty line up in their best uniforms to welcome the General and her entourage. Normally she would have been the one shouting the orders having the soldiers fall into line dressed in her black officer BDUs but today she stood at the back in her hospital scrubs with a light grey cotton cardigan with a high low collar holding a cup of coffee vainly trying to not hate the sun for shining so brightly and it being a glorious day while she felt like she had ants crawling in her eyeballs and her body begged for sleep.

"Oh fair enough" Amelia said as she already knew the end of that story all too well. She actually didn't want to in the main square, she wanted go and hide in her make shift studio and paint all day. Actually the only reason she had surfaced was that she ran out of red paint. So she had upped her supply of red paint but not before Maddy talked her into staying to watch the arrival of the people from 2150-something and so Maddy could point out and melt at the sight of her boyfriend Mark who was in the line up of soldiers along with Reilly and Dunham.

"But now we are reconnected with the future it means we'll be able to continue on as before right?" Maddy asked looking to Alicia.

"We hope" Alicia added as she didn't feel the same sense of hope and positivity as Maddy did.

"Yeah" Maddy said softly in agreement.

"So when does this convoy arrive?" Amelia asked as she really wanted to get back to painting. She wanted to hide from all of it and since Alicia said they would start self defence training again it made Amelia more concerned at what the newcomers were going to be like.

"About ten minutes from now" Alicia said as she could just see a rhino come out of the clearing. It would be less than 10 minutes but she accounted for speed and all the messing around of parking vehicles. Not to mention the pandering of St Claire and her ego that Alicia was sure would need a lot of attention.

"Is this how everyone's welcomed into the Colony?" Amelia asked.

"No, normally we drag in the new pilgrimage on foot and Commander Taylor gives his big speech from the balcony about how Terra Nova is a new start for the human race etc. We have never done a line up like this for new arrivals before. When or if the Pilgrimages start again you'll be able to experience the real deal" Alicia said.

"You make it sound so exciting" Amelia drawled sarcastically as Alicia made it seem like it wasn't much.

"Well after the first few times it's loses it lustre but the first time its really good" Alicia said.

"Is that true?" Amelia asked Maddy.

"I've only been to one and that was the day I arrived. I found it amazing but the whole day blew away and Commander Taylor is a powerful public speaker" Maddy said conceding Alicia's point.

The front gate opened and the crowd was talking in hushed tones as the Rhinos pulled up into the main yard. Guzman called the troops to attention and silence prevailed as the sounds of boots stamping to attention sounded and the doors to the Rhinos opened.

Taylor stepped out of the passenger doors of the Rhino and went to the back opening the door and helping St Claire out the back. Alicia noted how much the woman had changed since she last saw her but it was not what made her breath catch in her throat. No, it was when Sagara stepped out the back her heart skipped a beat. It was like seeing a ghost as his 5 ft 9 frame stepped out of the Rhino and straightened his uniform. She hadn't seen him in over 9 years. He looked good, they had had a relationship for nearly two years. It was as if he sensed her and their eyes locked.

"Someone you recognise?" Amelia asked as she caught Alicia blatantly staring at the soldier with facial scars who was staring right back at Alicia. Amelia didn't have to wonder what their connection was as Alicia looked at him like he was beautifully cooked piece of steak.

"Yeah" Alicia said a little breathlessly as Sagara looked away turning his attention back to the conversation of those beside him.

* * *

"That Ceremony was pretty heavy duty" Amelia commented as they had just ordered their lunch. She and Alicia decided to eat at Boylan's out of pure laziness than anything else.

"Well it's as formal as we'll get out here" Alicia said as she was amazed how put together the whole event felt. Taylor showed off his troops to General St Claire before they walked up the stairs. Taylor gave a speech about reconnecting with the future and what it meant for the colony. All good news before he introduced General St Claire to the colonists along with her party. St Claire gave a nice speech of friendship and mutual benefits for the Colony and the Future. She wasn't here to change anything but help improve their chances once they finished the 20 pilgrimages planned to come back to Terra Nova and seel the fracture permanently for the future of civilisation to begin.

The colonists ate it up as she said all the right words and smiled nicely. Alicia hated how that woman could play a crowd. She was nearly as potent as Commander Taylor in wrapping the civilians around her little finger. She always wondered where they got their powers of persuasion whether it was just a natural talent or if there was a training course for when one became a Commander where they learned to it.

By the end of the impromptu ceremony the colony had applauded and welcomed their new visitors and the supplies of medicine and technology they had brought with them.

"I guess that's reassuring, I didn't see Lucas or Dr Wallace anywhere" Amelia commented lightly but the truth was that she had searched the crowds for Lucas and hadn't seen him. She couldn't help but feel like a glutton for punishment.

"I believe they are still working on the terminus making sure everything is in order. To be honest I'm not entirely sure but I believe they are coming back this afternoon." Alicia said she could see Amelia was trying really hard not to like Lucas or ask about him but it was hard.

"Alicia" A familiar deep gravelly voice said to their right grabbing Alicia's attention.

Alicia looked up and saw Sagara standing by their table. He held his red beret in his hand and she noted how much he had changed now she was up close and personal. He was greying at the temples and had facial scars but otherwise he did look a day older than when they had met. She stood up out of years of military protocol and then closed her eyes feeling like an idiot and then looked at him with a soft closed smile.

"Hideaki, it's good to see you" Alicia said looking at him, old feelings bloomed in her as she remembered all the good times with just a dabble of regret as it was her fault they had gone their separate ways. She felt the urge to hug him but stopped herself as he didn't invite such overtures so instead she kept it polite. "Please allow me to introduce my ward Amelia Jones, Amelia this is Major Hideaki Sagara" Alicia said.

"Pleased to meet you" Amelia said as she stood up and shook hands with him.

"You too Miss Jones" Sagara said as he released her hand and turned to Alicia "I can only stay a moment but I wanted to stop by and ask if we could have drinks later when I'm off duty. I would like to catch up" He said, he was so confident in his words he made it seem like there was no rush for him to be anywhere when she knew he had General St Claire to pander.

"I'd like that" Alicia said with a soft smile. Sagara always held a special place in her heart and the chance to reconnect was something she wasn't going to miss.

"Good. Shall I pick you up from your residence?" He asked.

"How about I meet you here" Alicia offered as she knew he would be staying in the Barracks it would be easier. He gave an incline of his head.

"I hope you can forgive my rudeness but I have to go" he said as ducked his head again to both Amelia and Alicia before walking away. Alicia took a deep breath and re took her seat as did Amelia.

"So you and Major Sagara are old friends?" Amelia asked as she definitely felt like a third wheel.

"Something like that" Alicia said before she took a sip of her drink.

"Uhuh" Amelia drawled with a smile. While she was sad Alicia and Carter were on the outs she couldn't help but feel she and Alicia were on equal ground now when it came to mercilessly teasing one another.

"Don't say that like you think you know something" Alicia said rolling her eyes.

"I think I should ask Reilly about him" Amelia said thoughtfully as she knew Alicia wasn't going to tell her all the details about Sagara herself.

"Reilly is too young to know about him" Alicia told her.

"So there is something more. did he court you?" Amelia asked her.

* * *

"General St Claire and I are of one mind while we agree the punishment of Dr Taylor's was just we also feel he has paid his penance." Mr Richards said.

"You want me to release him?" Taylor asked.

"I know this is not the easiest way to broach this subject but I am overseeing the Colony and base back in 2157. I will be travelling back and forth through the portal. The Chain of Command is clear. So let's get something clear. This is still your colony and I have no desire to interfere with your internal affairs but when I do it will only be on matters that affect both 2157 and here. Understood?" She asked him. He understood clearly while he tried not to ground his jaw from anger as St Claire was patronising him.

"Yes, General" he answered.

"Good, now Mr Richards continue" St Claire said to the man sitting beside her.

"More like Parole with the understanding if he sets a foot wrong there will be no second chances. I don't want it to seem as though we are pining a medal on his chest but he did manage to help in this project greatly." Mr Richards said from his chair at the Conference table in the Command Centre.

They had lunch in the mess hall and then done the tour of the colony and introductions of heads of staff and lost the Engineers to the engineering department and Dr Covington to the Infirmary. It was now just Major Sagara, General St. Claire and Mr Richards.

Sagara stood to the side of the room in a relaxed military stance while General St Claire and Mr Richards and Taylor sat at the large conference table. It appeared that St Claire held a strict command.

"I also want it understood that if he does cross that line again we will execute him" General St Claire said.

"We don't believe in Capital Punishment"

"It's in the Bylaws, that if a man or woman deemed too dangerous to be remain in the colony then he or she may be put to death as long as four people agree and there is solid evidence" Mr Richards told him

"I don't believe in it. We've banished-"

"Banishment is how your colony was taken over when you tossed your son out. Tell me what was the crime he commited?" St Claire asked.

"He committed treason" Taylor said.

"Hmm banishment. Old age has made you soft. I would have shot him if I were in your position" she said casually. Taylor remained silent but he didn't appreciate the barb about Old age making him soft.

"I guess it is harder to kill one's off spring but in the end everything worked out in the end. The point is that he deserves a small reward for his efforts even if it will be a backhanded one. If he does cross a line I assure that I will be able to execute him for you" General St Claire said.

"So what are your plans for the future of the colony. Realistically not the promises you made in your speech" Taylor said as he felt like he was being groomed into being her puppet than remaining in his current position.

"We are committing to those promises, we plan to make this colony best it can be before sealing the fracture for good. The pilgrimages will be larger in numbers and so will the supplies. With the two way connection it will be easier making the transfer of information and people. A battalion of soldiers will be coming through a week from with more supplies. So your soldiers can have some R&R and we have extra hands to start preparing for the pilgrmages. In return-"

"Tere should be no return. This is about restarting civilisation-"

"Commander Taylor, you may not have been privy to some of the reasons for a two connection with the future when you took the position but they have been the mission statement of this venture from the start. Why did you believe we would encourage your son in his endeavours of making the portal two way" General St Claire emphasised his rank so he wouldn't be insubordinate. She was beginning to realise that maybe Taylor had been in Command too long as he was acting more like her equal than subordinate.

"We aren't here to upset the balance it's all quid pro quo. We will be mining meteoric ore that will be shared with the future and the colony. We will use your penal colony and volunteers from the future as miners so the colonists can work towards building the colony, we won't upset the routine here" Mr Richards said.

"What else do you want to send back to the future?" Taylor asked trying to keep his cool.

"Fresh water and that is it" Mr Richards said.

"Water and ore, we are not greedy we just need it to maintain the city until we complete this venture" St Claire told him.

"How long?" Taylor asked.

"No more than 5 years" St Claire said, it was of course the original idea of the pilgrimages that they would stop after 20 and seal the portal in 5 years. The only thing that had changed was that they were sending resources back to 2157 to keep it alive.

"We want to keep you in your current position. We are not here to put your nose out. This is still your colony we are merely here to add to its growth and taking a small slice of it so we can finish this project in its entirety." Mr Richards said which translated to taylor that he was now relegated to being a puppet while St Claire and Mr Richards pulled his strings and he couldn't do a damn thing about it as his soldiers would be outgunned in a week. He wished he had taken more precautions and time as all of it felt like he was losing control and incredibly wrong to him.

* * *

"Tell me you've been keeping impeccable records" Dr Covington said as he and Dr Canzales stood to the side of the infirmary watching the staff go about their business.

"You'll be impressed with what I have and one addition in particular" Canzales said in a low voice, a smile spread across his lips as he pulled out a hand held plex and brought up a patient's medical record for Dr Covington to peruse.

"Oh?" Dr Covington asked him.

"Yes, I think she would make the perfect candidate for what we discussing earlier in our communiques" Canzales said.

"What is so special about this girl?" Covington asked as he took the hand held plex and looked at the file on the screen.

"She's from early 21st century" Canzales said, Covington looked to Canzales with disbelief. He of course knew the Badlands was riddle with fractures leaving the possibility of travelling to many alternate universes possible. The proof was scattered deep in the badlands where pieces of relics and skeletons laid wasted as they had managed to pass from their time into Terra Nova.

"What year?" Covington asked.

"2012, she's 18 years old. A little old but the fact she has lived in a cleaner world since birth makes her genetic material-"

"Perfect for our requirements, how did she end up here?" Covington asked after finishing Canzales sentence for him. He looked more slosely at the data.

"Have to ask Lucas Taylor, I just know she is here and has a very healthy body" Canzales said.

"Excellent catch for us" Covington said handing the plex back to the Canzales.

"Should I bring her in?" Canzales asked.

"No, we will look over all the data you have collected and compose a list. I will take it to General St Claire we will start hopefully next month once everything has settled. Remember we are keeping this under wraps" Covington reminded him.

"Of course, these simpletons have no concept of what we are doing but we still need them" Canzales said.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Amelia told herself the only reason she was making the impromptu visit to the markets that afternoon were because she needed more paint and a couple of brushes not because she wanted to see Lucas.

She was a sucker for punishment, she stopped by the stall with the art gearfor the second time that day and bought herself more supplies. She tried vainly not to look at the main gate. She took the bag of supplies and gave her thanks to the shop owner Adriana before she turned on her feet and nearly smacked into Dunham.

"Hey" he said, she jumped back slightly and looked up at him.

"Hi, sorry I nearly ran you over" She said with a friendly smile. It was becoming a bad habit for her as Dunham kept cropping up everytime she was without Alicia beside her.

"It's alright, you're buying more paint?" he asked, she tried not to roll her eyes as it was pretty obvious that was what she was doing. She didn't mind Dunham's company but sometimes he could say some really stupid things. The more time they spent together the more she found herself uncomfortable as he was always doing things for her like carrying her bags and escorting her home. At first it was nice but now it made her feel like she was a two year old incapable of being unsupervised.

"Yeah, I should've been more organised when I came to the markets earlier today" Amelia said with a closed smile.

"Amelia's my best customer" Adriana said with a smile as Dunham and Amelia looked to her. "You know I have to believe you got a lot of art choking that house up the way you buy supplies. I could appraise it for you and organise some display space for the Winter Festival"

"Oh I don't know, I'm not very good" Amelia said, Alicia had spoken to her about putting some of her art up for work but it felt way too personal and Amelia wasn't ready for the criticism or downfall if she didn't sell anything or people downright hated her work.

"Think about it, It's in a month, all the artists bring out their works be it paintings or sculptures for viewing, there's music, entertainment and good food along with fireworks" Adriana said as she started to pack up shop.

"Yeah it would be a great place for you to sell your work" Dunham said, Amelia shook her head shyly.

"I don't know like I said I don't think I'm that good" Amelia said.

"I'm sure you're being modest" Dunham said.

"No, I'm not" Amelia said shaking her head. She heard the gates being raised and looked over to see the large wooden logs rise. Dunham turned as well as he noticed her attention was and they watched as a rhino and a rover drove into the main yard. The rhino stopped while the rover drove to the side of the research labs and parked.

Amelia saw Lucas step out of the Rover talking with Dr Wallace, her mouth went dry and her heart flipped as he looked even better than she had remembered. He caught some sun as his skin had a deep tan and his 5 o'clock shadow was back. She had felt slightly shell shocked in seeing him as her body just hummed reminding her of the few moments of pleasure in their kiss. His hard body pressed against her, the scent and taste of his lips and icing. It almost made her groan. She had really enjoyed the kiss before she was rejected. It was like he knew she was staring at him as he stopped to look at her and their eyes locked for a moment.

He gave her soft but rueful smile before turning to the soldiers who stood behind him ready to cuff his ankle and escort him back to Taylor's house.

"Well it looks like everyone returned safe and sound" Dunham said catching Amelia's attention as his tone was slightly bitter. It cut through her wayward thoughts and made her look at Dunham.

* * *

Lucas hated the ankle bracelet but told himself it was worth it as it gave him freedom, he looked over at Amelia again to see her talking with a soldier. He tried to remember the man's name but it eluded him but he was glad that whatever was happening over there was not working the guy's favour as Amelia looked like she was trying hard to not look annoyed at him.

She looked more beautiful than he remembered, her honey brown hair was tied up in a messy bun as she wore a loose cardigan with leggings and a long and loose tank top with baggy boots. He wished he wasn't a prisoner then he could have dropped his bags and gone over to where she was now and made his claim and tell the soldier to back off. It wasn't fair to Amelia, she has the chance for a happy life and he was not going to get in the way.

"So, we'll start over the data in the morning" Malcolm said in a business like tone to Lucas getting his attention, Lucas looked to the Brit and gave a nod. He was amazed how Malcolm was able to maintain his professionalism after the way he had treated the man. Lucas had been expecting the man to treat him like dirt but Malcolm didn't. They were definitely not friends but they were civil.

"Good, I'll see you around 10am" Malcolm said before walking into the main research labs. Lucas pulled his back pack from the rover and tossed one more look at Amelia who was walking away with the soldier at her side. He told himself the soldier was just escorting her home and it didn't mean anything but that didn't change the fact that he rather it be him walking her home. He hated how juvenile his jealousy was over something he couldn't change.

"Commander Taylor wants you in the Command Centre after you've washed up" One of the soldiers told him.

"I appreciate the chance to shower" Lucas quipped dryly, he wondered what could possibly be so important it couldn't wait until dinner.

* * *

Alicia couldn't believe how nervous she was over having drinks with Sagara. She had even changed her outfit twice proving to herself she was more female than she realised. She decided on a loose off the shoulder grey sweater and black skinny jeans with her favourite leather boots. She tried not to punish herself for primping so much. Sagara hadn't seen her in over nine years, they were catching up and she wanted to look better than she had at lunch where she had been in scrubs and her hair tied back. So now it was out in its loose natural waves. Her yellow ID card hanging around her neck. Alicia heard Amelia's voice muffled through the door talking to someone else. A moment later the door opened and Amelia came into the house.

"Alicia?" Amelia called out.

"Yeah?" Alicia asked as she walked out into the main living area.

"Hey, you look nice" Amelia said as placed her bag on the kitchen island.

"Thanks, you on the other hand look a mess" Alicia said with a smile as Amelia managed to get paint in the most unusual yet visible places on her body yet somehow manage to miss her clothing entirely. It appeared to be an art all by itself.

"I know we really need mirrors in the other house" Amelia said with an embarrassed smile as she tried not to fidget. She already felt self conscious from Dunham pointing out she hand blue paint on her neck.

"Not that it matters, every job has its messes. Did I hear Dunham?" Alicia asked innocently.

"Yeah he walked me home from the markets" Amelia said looking slightly uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked immediately clueing in on Amelia's discomfort.

"I'm kind of uncomfortable with all this escorting business. I can walk home by myself every once and a while but everytime I run into him he 'has to escort' me to wherever I'm going" Amelia said. She knew it was a juvenile complaint but she was used to the automny of her old life where no one but her mother dogged her steps and even then it was only via phone or asking for a recount of her movements over dinner.

"It's Taylor's rules all the soldiers want to emulate his qualities to some extent" Alicia said as she checked the time on her comm. unit.

"You know we can talk about this later" Amelia said as she knew Alicia had a date with Major Sagara. Amelia planned on packing her paint away and having a hot shower before indulging in TV but really she was probably going to be thinking about Lucas the whole time. Even after everything he was firmly under her skin.

"No, it's fine I got time" Alicia said.

"Really?" Amelia asked sceptically.

"No, I'm meeting Sagara in 10 minutes" Alicia asked.

"Go, I'm good. Really" Amelia assured her. Alicia narrowed her eyes at Amelia and then decided to take the young woman's assurance as she was only going out for drinks.

"Ok but I can cancel if you want me to. You have that brooding teenage angst face and I'm worried about Boylan's blueberry sorbet." Alicia teased lightly. Amelia chuckled.

"I'm good and the sorbet is safe" Amelia told her.

"Ok, we'll talk later ok" Alicia told her as she headed to the door.

"I'd like that. Have fun" Amelia said as Alicia left the house.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I think I fear I'm suffering from heat stroke and didn't quite hear what you said" Lucas said as he sat at the conference table in the Command centre. He was dressed in a oatmeal collared cotton chambray shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark brown pants. It was amazing how clean clothes and body brightened his mood. But if what he was hearing was correct his mood was definitely going to improve drastically.

"We as in Mr Richards and I are granting you parole for all your efforts in making this venture even possible. Your father doesn't agree with the ruling and it has been noted for the record." General St Claire said with an amused expression.

"Parole, what does that mean?" Lucas asked, he knew what it meant but he wanted the details clearly stated to him.

"You'll be injected with tracking chip so we can keep tabs on you. You won't be able to leave the colony unless escorted but otherwise you will be able to re-integrate with society. You'll continue your work with Dr Wallace and be paid for your work and you'll be able to live freely in the colony as you wish as long as you don't break anymore laws" Mr Richards told him.

"Freedom on a leash" Lucas said with disdain even though inwardly he was pleased even excited. It meant that he would regain some freedom. He would be able to leave the house on his own volition and be able to talk with Amelia about their last encounter.

"Is better than no freedom at all. If we didn't require your knowledge I would have you executed for your crimes" General St Claire told him.

"I've already been shot for my crimes. It's not my fault the executioner was a lousy shot" Lucas said, he knew he should be more grateful but he didn't like how patronizing St Claire was. Her manner rubbed him the wrong way to say the least and apparently he wasn't alone as his father didn't look happy. Lucas guessed it was a small consolation that Taylor wasn't getting what he wanted for a change. General St Claire looked to Taylor to explain.

"A woman from the Colony shot him twice in the chest, it was during the occupation" Taylor supplied, Lucas was shocked Taylor didn't look more proud of Skye or give up her name. In fact he lied to a general.

"It appears that Taylor men are quite resilient" St Claire regarded in a somewhat cool tone as her gaze slipped from Taylor and then back at Lucas. "If you don't wish to be released on parole then so be it" she said.

"I'm not saying that, I'm just used to being dangled the proverbial carrot I'm wondering where the stick comes in" Lucas said.

"Well if you step out of line you'll find out" She told him. Lucas gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Now, you'll be taken to the infirmary where Dr Covington is waiting with Dr Canzales. Once the implant is in and functioning the ankle bracelet will be taken off. You'll be free to enjoy your life with some restrictions of course. Commander Taylor does have some rules but I shall let you two talk about them privately. I am going to refresh myself for the evening meal" St Claire said.

"I think I will do the same" Mr Richards said as he and St Claire both stood up, Taylor Lucas joined them in standing to be polite and waited for the two to leave before retaking their seats.

Once St Claire and Mr Richards were gone Lucas looked to Taylor. He could see his father already felt his feathers be severely ruffled as St Claire and Mr Richards had overturned some of his decisions already.

"You didn't tell me about the time difference" Taylor said quietly.

"It was in the communications logs"

"No it wasn't" Taylor said.

"I thought it was. Does it make a difference?"

"Yes it does, I was blindsided do you enjoy the fact that you've managed to pull the wool over my eyes and instead of being punished you're being rewarded" Taylor drawled in an icy tone.

"Haven't you punished me enough?" Lucas asked in an exasperated tone.

"Not nearly but then I don't get a choice where you are concerned as I'm 'biased' since I'm your father. So let's get down to the rules" Taylor said.

"Ok"

"No drugs or booze, curfew will be 11pm. You'll stay under my roof for the next six months to a year. You're going to save up for your own place. If you continue your work with Amelia Jones you will have to be supervised. I set down strict conduct rules for my soldiers regarding fraternization with the colonists."

"You want me to follow those same rules of 'courtship'?" Lucas asked in disbelief, he wondered for the first time in years how low his father thought of him if he believed Lucas had no respect for women. There was also the fact that Lucas found his father's ideas of courtship mildly amusing and completely unrealistic.

"Don't mock them. They are to there to perpetuate respect and decency when it comes to relationships" Taylor told him.

"Did you court Mom like that?" Lucas asked wondering when his father thought his rules up.

"I did" Taylor said, Lucas was taken back slightly as he noted the softening in his father's expression. They never spoke of their mother and Lucas always felt his father had mistreated his mother.

* * *

"You look beautiful" Sagara told Alicia, they were deep in their cups as Boylan get the drinks flowing their direction.

"You shouldn't be so nice considering how I was the last time we spoke" she slightly slurred, she knew she had to slow down but it felt good to be tipsy. It was like all the muscles in her body had given a collective sigh of relief and relaxed. She also had to admit Sagara was easy company.

"Hey some people work out while others don't. You were in a bad way when we split" Sagara said with a shrug, he wore urban camo BDUs and looked far more relaxed than he had earlier. It was almost like old times in some respects.

"When did you become such a diplomat?" Alicia asked.

"Only in the last 7 years after the fracture was lost and hope plaza was destroyed" Sagara told her before taking a sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving hers. Alicia nearly dropped her cup when he made the admission.

"7 years?" she said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I take that is wasn't that long on this side" he said.

"Only 1." She told him.

"Explains why you still look so damn good" Sagara told her as his eyes roamed over her. it was easy for her to remember why they had made such a good couple except for the part where he broke off the engagement, he felt that they were getting married for the wrong reasons and needed more time to think. All of this happened over her hospital bed Frankfurt when she was wounded in the continental wars.

"Explains why you are so grey and ugly" She teased.

"If I'm so ugly why can't you keep your eyes off me?" he asked, Alicia felt the room kick up a couple degrees as he still had the same teasing smile. When she didn't answer he spoke again. "So did you and that Carter guy end up finally making it work?" he asked. Alicia looked away and down her the dregs of her cup and shook her head.

"No, we didn't. What about you? finally find that special one that made your heart set a flutter" she asked him changing the direction of the conversation.

"Yeah a couple of times but they didn't work out" He said with a tilt of the head.

"I'm sorry to hear that"

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter now you know what St Claire is like. Social lives take a back burner but then everything been on the backburner since the major terrorist attack at Hope Plaza" he said with a slight roll of the eyes as if to say it was old news.

"When are we not at war?" Alicia asked with a wry smile while her insides turned to ice.

"True but after Hope Plaza was destroyed, the world just caved on itself." Sagara told her.

* * *

Lucas knew he shouldn't have been walking around the colony but it was dinner time and most people were indoors. It was safer to roam now with his new found freedom than it would be in the middle of day for all the colonists to see him. He didn't know exactly where he was going only a rough direction to where he assumed Amelia was.

Normally he was a man of patience but today he was throwing it to the wind. He knew he had no right to be happy, no right to going to Amelia but right now he wanted to see her. He wanted to get a few things straightened out with her. He had spent the last week melting in the heat and thinking about her and that kiss. His shoulder twinged where the doctors inserted his tracking implant but he ignored it as he continued.

It had hit him while sweating in the car looking over Terminus read outs that he had dealt with their kiss the wrong way but then his father interrupting them hadn't made things easier. That and Amelia's innate innocence told him that it might have been her first kiss which made his need to see her even greater. He had dealt with it all wrongly and now he had the chance to fix it.

He made it to the newest block of buildings in the colony, he could tell by the lack of landscaping and the unpainted homes. Now he just had to figure out which one was the house Amelia had told him about.

* * *

Amelia was cleaning her brushes when she heard the soft knock on the front door. She placed the brushes she was cleaning in the sink and moved to the front door assuming it Reilly or Dunham. She hoped it was Reilly as Dunham's attentiveness was starting to get on her nerves but more were his bitter words about Lucas surviving. She tried not care about him but she couldn't help herself she owed her life to Lucas and he was the only one who didn't treat her as though she were fragile piece of glass ready to break. She frowned as her hands were covered with paint but at least it was dry. Reilly was going to have a field day with her as she was a mess.

"Coming" Amelia said as another knock sounded. She moved to the door and opened it. Her eyes went wide as she found Lucas standing at the door.

"Lucas" She said in surprise.

"Amelia" He said giving her a soft smile, she looked at him like he was some sort of apparition.

"How- what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your father's house?" she asked him.

"It's a long story, may I come in?" he asked her. She looked at him still stunned but gave a nod and stepped back.

"Sure" she said waving him into the house. He liked how she didn't look around expecting soldiers to haul him away instead stepping back and letting him into the house. "You'll have to excuse the mess I was cleaning up" she told him.

"Its fine" he said, he looked around the room finding it completely barren of furniture. It looked like she and Alicia hadn't moved in at all. He wondered where Alicia was lurking but he couldn't hear any other noises of someone in the house. They were alone, the thought made his mind run through many possible outcomes which he tried to ignore as most of the ones he did want to happen were very unlikely to.

"Lucas-" Amelia started snapping his mind back to the present. Amelia standing there in the same clothes he saw her in earlier. Though he noticed she had paint on her face just above her right brow. He turned away from her and looked around the house for distraction so he wouldn't stare at her.

"I've been given parole, I'm free to roam as long as I abide by the laws and a curfew by 11pm" he told her as he answered her question before she asked it. He noticed the sun room where the lights were on and went to investigate as he could see the paintings. "You're painting" he said as he moved into the room.

"Yes, I didn't have any work so Alicia thought it would be good therapy for my hand" she said as she followed him, she watched him as he looked over her paintings in a slow and meticulous manner as if he were committing them to memory. Her heart pounded in her chest as apprehension curled in her stomach. She wondered what he was doing here but also wanted to know what he thought of her work.

"I see you have been quite prolific" he commented with a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I have a lot of time on my hands" she said from behind him.

"They're as beautiful as its creator" he said as he moved back, a blush graced her cheeks and she looked away as it was quite the compliment considering Lucas was not one to baldly lie to her.

"Is there a reason you're here?" she asked.

"I needed to talk to you about the last time we were together." He said as he continued to look at her art. He hadn't lied her work was beautiful even if he had no clue what the paintings were supposed to be.

"Oh" she said in a quiet tone.

"The kiss in particular" he said turning to face her. Amelia felt her stomach twist into knots as she really didn't want to relive such an embarrassing moment. Especially since she was still blatantly attracted to him and knowing he wasn't interested but felt he needed to tell her in depth why just made her feel worse.

"I think you made it blatantly clear" She said, he could see the hurt in her eyes even though she didn't look directly at him.

"I don't believe I had the chance to make myself clear" he said as he moved in close to her, she didn't back away which was a good sign but the closer he was to her the more he wanted to kiss her.

"Oh yeah I think you were clear about and embarrass-" Amelia stopped mid sentence as Lucas brought his hands to her face and tilted up as he lowered his head. He kissed her. He kissed her long, hard and deep it was overwhelming, confusing and immensely pleasurable all at the same time.

* * *

_TBC-Sorry for not making good on my promises so I won't make any this time... Thank you for all the reviews and Cya all soon!_


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Oh this is good" St. Claire said as she took another sip of her whisky.

"I'm amazed you didn't open it sooner" Taylor remarked as he took a slow sip of his own whisky, somehow it didn't taste as good as he thought. Perhaps it was that he didn't drink all that often and when he had he stayed away from heavy liquor.

"I feel like it is more of peace offering now than the gift I intended it to be" she said, her hair was in a more relaxed hairstyle as she wore urban camo BDUs as they sat at the dining table in his home. Taylor tried vainly to not think about what his son was doing as he knew exactly who Lucas was with.

He and St Claire had dinner in the mess with her entourage before they retired to his house for a nightcap before retiring for the night. He would have preferred the Command Centre but St. Claire didn't want a show of them getting sloshed in a place of business not that he would ever get inebriated in the presence of General St. Claire.

"You have a nice place here" St. Claire said as she looked around the house, he had get the lights on full blast and she wondered if he had had any women in this house in a romantic sense but considering he was blatantly ignoring her advances told her he wasn't interested. She wondered if he was still hung up on his dead wife and saw the photo on side table near the lounge. It was of the woman in question, Ayani Taylor and she was had a toddler in her lap waving the little boy's hand at the camera as they both laughed and smiled. Obviously the boy was Lucas at a younger age. She had been beautiful woman with her lightly tanned complexion, sparkling green eyes and long sandy brown hair.

"It's the same as all the others" Taylor remarked ignoring how she was looking at the photo he had of Ayani and Lucas in the lounge room. He was amazed it was still facing up as Lucas and he were always in contention. Lucas didn't want it on show while Taylor did.

"I'm sure, you were never one to abuse his station" St. Claire said with a smile as she continued to look around the room before allowing her eyes to settle on Taylor. "I want to reassure you there are no other underhanded decisions to be made in regards to the colony" she told him.

"I appreciate it if you gave me some heads up. I know you get the final say but I don't like being blindsided particularly in regards to my son" Taylor told her.

"Of course" St Claire said before taking a slow sip.

* * *

Lucas ran his tongue slowly and tenderly along Amelia's lips, he couldn't help but love how she tasted, the heat and the softness of her body and responsiveness. A longing rolled over him, overwhelming him, sweeping him up in aching waves.

Amelia was overwhelmed but at the same time lost in the sensations of the kiss, the feel of Lucas's hard body against her and his hands roved her body. She tried to keep up with him but she didn't have a clue as to what to do but she knew she didn't want him to stop.

Her hands had fluttered uncertainly and then came to rest on his hips, holding him gently. He had groaned with sheer pleasure holding her tighter.

She felt the coaxing, enticing sweep of his tongue across her lips all the way to the soles of her feet. Untested instincts took over before she knew it. Her hands tightened on his hard, narrow hips as she pushed up on her toes and leaned even closer, she opened her mouth to take him into her. At the first hot thrust of his tongue, her body took flame.

A hunger, a neediness she hadn't felt before sprang to immediate life in her and demanded attention. What she was supposed to do about she wasn't sure but what Lucas was doing to her was seemed to tempering and making it worse all at the same time.

* * *

"We now are just fighting for survival. There isn't much left but it's all about making it to here" Sagara told her, Alicia cursed under her breath as Sagara had spent the last half an hour telling her of the death toll in the future of the wars they were fighting in the middle of a nuclear winter thanks to the fallout of the international relations.

"How many are alive now?" Taylor asked, he hadn't expected St Claire to be so forth coming but apparently she was a more of a light weight than he remembered.

"On our side we are under 100,000 that's it, as for our enemies? We have no clue of their numbers but they just keep coming" She said with a far away look in her eyes.

* * *

"Why?" Alicia asked Sagara in a low voice.

"Cause they got no interest in reconciliation, they are angry and they just want fight cause they don't want to lay down and die just yet" he said with a dismissive shrug.

"Do they know about the fracture being re-opened?" Alicia asked, the conversation they were having was not one she wanted to be overheard in the busy bar. She sat close to Sagara and tried to ignore the familiar tingles of being close him. Memories of their time together she told herself she was just interested in him because she needed a rebound guy. Not that if she was going to indulge Sagara would be that man as she had already burned that bridge with him. What she needed was an old friend who didn't look at her like she was damaged goods from her time with the Sixers and the Phoenix soldiers.

"No, General St Claire wants to evacuate the civilians and retreat back her and seal the fracture for good. We've been fighting too long. I've been fighting too long" He said in an exhausted tone.

"It's hardly fair, we don't do more to reconcile-"

"Trust me you don't want those people here, they've gone feral and anyway most of them are dying from some form of radiation sickness" Sagara told her, he sat back in his chair and down the contents of his cup, looking like he had aged 5 years from just talking about it.

"I just can't imagine it" Alicia told him, she couldn't imagine living the way Sagara describe his last few years. It made her time with the phoenix soldiers and somalia combined look like a picnic in the bahamas circa 21st century.

"Yeah neither could I until it happened" he said he paused and took a deep breath before looking to his watch.

"Am I keeping you from a hot date?" Alicia asked him with an amused smile as it was the third time he had looked at his watch.

"Yes, it's just me and this sexy bunk bed in the Barracks but if you're into a three way I won't say no. I doubt the bunk bed would have anything to say" He deadpanned. Alicia laughed and shook her head at him.

"Maybe next time" she told him.

"Actually you mind if we quit early, I haven't slept more than a couple in the last 48 hours. I'm really beat" Sagara told her.

"Yeah sure, that's fine" Alicia said a little sad to call it a night even for their grim discussion she did enjoy his company. She downed the last of her own cup and they got to their feet.

"I have an RDO coming up in two days time. Could take you out for dinner to make up for cutting this shorter than I expected?" he asked, she smiled and gave a nod, glad that he offered.

"I'd like that" Alicia told him.

* * *

Lucas leaned down as he continued to kiss Amelia. All sense and thoughts of how fast he was moving fled him mind as he moved his hands to where hers were and moved them to his shoulders before he lifted her up. She instinctually wrapped her legs around his hips and he carried her quickly to the kitchen bench.

Once there he placed her weight on the bench and took advantage of them being at relatively the same height. He moved against her mimicking what he had dreamed about for months but in the dreams they were naked, in bed with him inside of her. What they were doing now was not enough to satisfy but it did enough to promise. He felt a surge of male satisfaction as he could feel the heat radiating off her, Amelia wanted every bit of that promise as much as he.

* * *

"I had to take command, it was a mess. We lost millions of lives in the nuclear fallout" St Claire said before she downed her drink. Taylor topped up her glass as he listened. St Claire had tears in her eyes but was fighting to keep her emotions under control as she recounted the years after Hope Plaza was destroyed.

"I and two Commanders managed to pull all the troops we could to the Chicago dome, and then we spent years rebuilding the city dome and protecting it from our enemies while taking in as many refugees as we could. It hasn't been easy" She told him.

"You did good with what you had" he said as he swallowed his whiskey feeling it burn along with the guilt that he felt from what he had caused when he sent Jim through the portal with the bomb.

"Thanks, some days it doesn't feel like that. You can't imagine how much of a blessing it was to have all our hard work and sacrifice finally pay off. Thanks a lot to your son" She told him.

"So we'll see" Taylor said.

"Speaking of where is he?" St. Claire asked.

"I assume enjoying his freedom until 11pm" Taylor remarked as he poured the next round of drinks.

* * *

Lucas drew a ragged breath as he released her mouth, but he didn't leave her. Instead he trailed his lips across her cheek, down the side of her throat making her shiver. There was something incredibly intoxicating about knowing he was the only man to draw this reaction out of her. He paid special homage to the sweet spot just below her ear which sent another shiver through her but this time causing her to make a small cry and arch against him.

One of her hands slowly moved up the back of his neck to his head, pressing him closer. He had been about to move down.

"Hello" Boylan said in a rich and surprised voice, the sound of his voice was like a bucket of cold water being thrown onto them as reality crashed on them. Lucas stepped away from Amelia and behind the counter, he felt the back of his neck go red as he got the feeling that this was what it was like to be caught out.

Amelia slid off the counter and joined him as she pulled her cardigan back into place with shaky hands. It was not going to help as she looked thoroughly kissed and her hair mussed.

Lucas was relieved it was only Boylan but the relief was short lived when Alicia stepped out of the shadows of the front door way looking deeply unimpressed.

"Let me guess, she fainted from lack of food and being the gentleman you are you had to give her mouth to mouth with tongue to resuscitate her on the kitchen counter" Alicia said her speech was slightly slurred but it was the only outward sign that told him that she had been drinking. Otherwise she held herself as she normally did sober.

"He-" Amelia started but Alicia cut her off.

"No, let Lucas talk for himself." Alicia told Amelia before she looked at Lucas "You're supposed to be under house arrest and last time I checked that wasn't here" Alicia said, she was angry and not because of Amelia but because of Lucas. He was supposed to be imprisoned in his father's home and she didn't know why but she expected better of him. Alicia also knew that Amelia was entirely too innocent and playing with fire. While it didn't excuse her part in what had gone on, Alicia also knew what it was like to be swept away by a charming man.

"I've been paroled; I still have a tracker and a curfew-" Lucas started but Alicia cut him off.

"So you decided to come here and find a willing-"

"It's not like that" Lucas snapped as Alicia made it sound like he was just using Amelia for sex. Alicia folded her arms across her chest and looked at him.

"Oh really? How is one supposed to interpret that from what Boylan and I walked in on?" Alicia asked in a mockingly curious tone. Amelia's head swooned as she was still recovering from Lucas's kisses and body contact. It had been overwhleming and amazing right until Alicia and Boylan came into the house.

"I don't have to explain anything to you" Lucas told Alicia.

"That's where you're wrong. If your father was here, he'd have my hide and then we'd all be having a conversation about fornicating" Alicia said throwing her hands up in the air.

"Fornicating" Boylan interrupted with an odd smile.

"His words not mine" Alicia said to Boylan.

"Biblical" Boylan said sounding impressed with Taylor's choice of words. It probably explained why Lucas never heard of his father having an affair with any women after his mother.

"Not helping" Alicia told Boylan in a light tone as she continue to look at the couple.

"They are both adults" Boylan started.

"Just remember that when we end up with their squawking baby under this roof in nine months time" Alicia told Boylan. Amelia went from light headed to her cheeks burning at Alicia's words. She was pretty sure she was going to red faced for the rest of her life at this rate.

"We didn't have sex" Amelia said.

"Yet" Boylan countered.

"This is really none of your business but Amelia is right. I wasn't going to allow things to go that far I respect her" Lucas told them. They both looked at him incredulously as if he had just lied to their faces.

"I'm still her guardian until she turns 20 so by your father's bylaws it is my business. A part of my responsibilities is making sure she isn't taken advantage of or ends up knocked up out of wedlock. Call me a traditionalist" Alicia told him in a dry tone.

"Just like Taylor" Boylan quipped, Alicia gave a nod while Lucas couldn't believe he was being dictated to by Boylan and Alicia the two most unlikely couple yet here they were acting like they were Amelia's parents.

"Exactly so same courtship rules apply here and you're not getting off to a good start considering you have missed a lot of steps" Alicia informed Lucas.

"You're really not going to make me say it?" Lucas asked her.

"Yes I need to hear the words spoken clearly and in a polite manner but not tonight. So go home Lucas and find me another day to ask and until then I don't want you anywhere near my ward and if I find out you two have been canoodling I'll break your legs. Now skidaddle" Alicia said dismissing Lucas.

Lucas looked to Amelia and opened his mouth to say something but he was at a loss for words and then he didn't want to be on Alicia bad side so he left. Alicia closed the door behind Lucas and looked to Amelia who's face was the colour of a tomato.

"So have you eaten dinner yet?" Alicia asked Amelia in a casual tone. Amelia looked at her confused as if she hadn't heard the question correctly before answering.

"No" she said.

"Then how about we go home and eat something as I am starved" Alicia said casually, Amelia felt lightheaded as Alicia had gone from being completely dark and angry to casual and content. It worried Amelia as her mother would have exploded at her and well Amelia didn't know what her mother would do next as they had never been in that situation. This was new territory.

"Should be after all that booze and no food" Boylan told Alicia in a conversational manner, like the last five minutes hadn't happened at all.

"You're not going to shout at me?" Amelia asked ringing her hands nervously. Alicia and Boylan looked at one another before bursting out laughing which made Amelia frown. "I don't see how this is funny" Amelia told them.

Alicia and Boylan calmed down from their laughter and Alicia looked at Amelia with a soft and understanding look.

"Amelia, you're not in trouble. I mean we'll talk but you're not in trouble. Lucas is because he knows better. There is a system in Terra Nova and it is so young women like yourself are not taken advantage of. He decided he was above it and thus has to pay the consequences." Alicia told her in a matter of factorial tone.

"So I won't be able to see him again?" Amelia asked her, it seemed like the logical next step in how her life didn't shape out to how she wanted it.

"Sure you can but not until he asks my permission and jumps a few hoops and then there will be chaperoned visits" Alicia told her. Amelia took a shaky breath as everything was incredibly overwhelming but in a good way. At least Alicia gave her good news, it was better than not being able to see him. In fact it was great news.

"I believe for the sake of all the sorbet stores in the Colony this is a wise move." Boylan said putting his two cents in to Alicia who rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

Lucas reached the front door of his house and took a deep breath steeling himself for his Father's probably less than stellar greeting and the evitable conversation about Amelia. He stifled a groan as the memory of her body against his and the taste of her lips. Definitely worth the breaking of his self control even if they did get caught by Alicia and Boylan.

He would of course next time take things slower, the chance to court Amelia seemed laughable as the whole point of courting a partner was to make sure you were suitable for one another. He already knew they suited but he was not ready to marry her which did put a crimp in things and he wasn't sure exactly his end game was and thought startled him. He usually thought about ten steps ahead before he made a move.

But with his newfound freedom and lack of plans since revenge against his father were out of his hands. He didn't know what he wanted to do in the long term. First, he would have to figure out what to do with Amelia and preferably set out a plan so that he didn't hurt her.

He had been about to open the door when the door in question opened. General St Clair was laughing about something as his father held the door. The General looked a little flushed and smiling at Taylor who still maintained his polite veneer with a smile as they stood with the door open. The smile from Taylor's face of course dropped at Lucas's presence and a neutral expression replaced it while General St Claire's softened as she looked at Lucas.

"Lucas, you're just in time to escort me to my dwellings" She told him. Lucas looked to his father who gave him a 'behave' look.

"Of course. General, it would be my honour" Lucas said holding out his arm as a gentleman would even though he had better things than to walk the woman home.

"Taylor men are so polite it's like you're born in a different century" General St Claire oozed as she sauntered out of the house and looped her arm in his. Lucas could smell the booze on her. He looked at his father one last time before turning his attention to General St Claire.

"Thank you Ma'am, though you'll have to direct me to where you live"

"Of course. I knew so but I wanted you to walk with me because we have things to discuss" St Claire told him.

"We do?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, I have plans to get the colony back on track my main concern is maintaining a connection to the future"

"Perhaps we should discuss this another time" Lucas said he left off the part where she should be sober but it seemed her inebriation was all an act. General St Claire looked at him and her demeanour cooled.

"You think a ¼ of the bottle puts me under?" she asked snidely.

"I was under the impression" Lucas said confused.

"So was your father, and trust me he will believe me over you. So don't even begin to think you can take me on" St Claire told him in a low voice.

"I'll keep that in mind. You were speaking of the future of Terra Nova" Lucas said as he knew General St Claire was right. She could say anything she liked about him and had the power to throw her back into a cell or worse. But he knew as soon as he reopened the fracture what he was getting into.

"Control the past you control the future" St Claire said words Lucas had utter for many years and had become quite the catch phrase with the Phoenix group, the Government and Military officials who had their fingers in the pie.

"I want you to know that I am deeply displeased on your earlier failures. Don't think I will let this go and be aware your freedom hinges on not only your continued work but my belief that you are on my side" St Claire said.

"My earlier failures?" Lucas questioned.

"Yes, remember your agreement? We supplied you with everything you needed to take over this colony and slaughter the soldiers and male civilians. Then harvest the females and ship back their biomaterial along with the children back to us in 2150. But no, you had to play piggy in the middle playing both sides" St Claire said in a hushed tone her expression was neutral but her tone harsh.

"It wasn't like that" he told her but it was exactly like that.

"No? because I understand the Phoenix Group wanted the ore but the Austin Corporation wanted-"

"I know what they wanted" Lucas said in disgust.

"Yes and you decided to hold their product hostage because the price was too low for your liking." St Claire drawled.

"I kept them so I could delay a frontal assault on the colony from my father. I also don't deal in flesh" He told her.

"You signed several legal documents and with a nice electronic trail that you do." She told him, he dropped her arm and turned to face her his eyes narrowing at her.

"I never-" he start to refute it but she cut him off wearing the smuggest of smiles on her lips as she tsked him.

"Read the fine print. For a man of so much intelligence you should know better. Now I can forgive your earlier indiscretions as you were young and banished into the wilderness for over 5 years. Obviously we didn't account for the mental toll that would take on a man with your mental instability" She told him in a matter of factorial tone.

"Please you're making me blush with all these compliments" Lucas drawled darkly.

"The point being is that I will be taking over this colony and fulfilling the contractual agreements with 2157. I will be keeping your father in the dark. If you decide to tell anyone of this I will have that cute little blonde you saved harvested"

"Why should I care about some blonde" Lucas said coldly but he knew it was too late to hide his affliation with Amelia. He would have to try and protect her by keeping St Claire happy.

"Please, I know you want a little thing with her. It's common knowledge, I'm also told she's hot for you and incredibly cute. Since I paroled you for good behaviour it gives you a chance to be with her. Consider it a nice gesture that I toss her in the deal you get your limited freedom and the girl. She won't be harvested and all it will cost you is your silence and continued hard work on the maintaining the portal." she told him.

"You make it sound so simple" Lucas said as he wanted to know the catch besides the obvious where he would get executed for treason.

"It is, just remember that we are talking about mutual benefits here and if you cross me I will destroy everything you hold dear in the life before your eyes and then I have you executed. Am I understood?" She asked him, she looked excited at the idea of tearing his world apart. Not there was much to destroy.

"Yes" Lucas bit out, St. Claire smiled at him.

"Good, now that we understand one another. I can walk myself the rest of the way home" St Claire said dismissing him.

* * *

TBC-Cya all soon


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"So I take it drinks with Major Sagara didn't go well?" Amelia asked as she and Alicia were eating a late dinner she didn't realise how hungry she was until the food was placed in front of her. She took a bite of the warmed up left overs relished the delicious flavours of the food.

"Our meet up was good. We had to finish up early because he has to work to do early tomorrow and so do I. Elisabeth needs help with the new stock of meds from 2157. Apparently Canzales is all tied up with Dr Covington at the moment." Alicia said, she had been called just as she left Sagara in the main square. It had been a surreal experience seeing and talking to him. They were so different from whom they had been when they were engaged but the sparks were still there.

"Fair enough, so you and Major Sagara?" Amelia drawled hoping to keep the conversation firmly away from her but Boylan had other plans.

"Were not doing what you and Lucas were doing on that kitchen bench" Boylan quipped, Amelia's cheeks burned at the comment. Boylan was worse than her brother when it came to teasing her.

"Boylan, give her a break" Alicia said she also silently wanted to say 'give me a break' as she never understood why she couldn't have a drink and it not be about her ending up with a man in bed. She had enjoy her drinks with Sagara and why there was some chemistry still there she was not ready to explore it or end up hurting Sagara again even if he was interested in her.

"I will, I have to go back to the bar and close up. You ladies enjoy the rest of your evening" he said and with his usual flair left the house with a smile on his face. After the door closed Alicia sat down at the table with her portion of food and looked at Amelia.

"We should talk about what happened" Alicia said to her as she used her fork to twirl up the noodles on her plate.

"Can we not?" Amelia asked after she swallowed a bite of her dinner.

"Nope" Alicia said as she took her first bite of dinner. Amelia placed her fork down and gave a sigh looking at Alicia for a moment before she spoke.

"Fine, he appeared at the door and I seriously thought he was going to do a post mortem on why we would suit each other instead well you saw" Amelia rambled at first before she came to an awkward drawl about what Alicia saw.

"Hmm" Alicia said with mild amusement as she chewed her dinner. Amelia felt an incredible amount of guilt wash over herself as she knew what her mother would think and have done in the situation. She would have disappointed in Amelia's behaviour.

"You know my mother would have killed me if she caught me like that. Why aren't you shouting at me?" Amelia asked, she assumed Alicia's role as her guardian was that she acted like a parent. Alicia swallowed her food and took a sip of water before she spoke.

"Well I'm not your mom and you're tearing yourself to pieces about it without me having to slap your wrist as would be right as your guardian." Alicia told her.

"Ok" Amelia said looking at the table.

"But we should talk about sex" Alicia said casually, Amelia's eyes snapped up as she really didn't want to go through the whole 'sex' talk with Alicia or anyone.

"I know how it works. My mom gave me the talk and then I had the lessons at school with the bananas and the video" Amelia rambled quickly in the hopes of trying to stave off the conversation. But all it earned her was a look of concern mixed with confusion as Alicia looked at her. Alicia wondered what Alicia learned in that class and why fruit was involved but felt it would digress from what she wanted to say.

"I was thinking less about the mechanics and more about the birth control" Alicia told her, Amelia's cheeks flushed a nice pink colour as she was not big on talking about sex or her body in any terms.

"Oh, I think we are really getting ahead of ourselves. What happened tonight was really-" Amelia paused trying to find the appropriate words. "Something unplanned and I'll admit I was taken in the moment but I think you're right in taking it slow" Amelia said awkwardly. She had overwhelmed and even now she wasn't sure how she felt but she did know she didn't want to make any foolish promises that it would never happen again.

"There's nothing wrong with being prepared. In case something unplanned happens again. So you have many options-"

"Can I just get a shot? quick and efficient and that way no problems about me forgetting and we can never talk about it again?" Amelia asked in a hopeful tone.

"You sure you don't want to know the other options?" Alicia asked her, she was really amused by how uncomfortable Amelia was when it came to talking about her body and sex.

"No" Amelia said uncomfortably.

"Well, ok but there are a few-" Alicia started to say but Amelia cut her off.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow when I get injected?" Amelia asked her, Alicia gave a warm smile and nodded returning her attention to her food.

"Of course, I'll be on duty in the infirmary so I can talk you through all the information before I shoot you up" Alicia said in a tongue in cheek manner as she lifted up a second forkful of noodles to her mouth.

"Just so know you still have to use prophylactics as it won't protect you from STDs" Alicia added.

"Thanks, now can we seriously talk about something a little less embarrassing" Amelia said completely flustered now. Alicia chuckled.

"Sure, you going to get your work appraised for the winter festival?" Alicia asked before she ate the noodles on her fork.

"I don't know" Amelia said as she pushed the last few tendrils of food around the plate waiting for her nerves to calm down.

"I think you should at least let Adriana see your work and then decide on what she says" Alicia advised her.

"Ok, I'll talk with her tomorrow" Amelia said knowing it was better to just do it than have everyone keep pushing her to do it.

* * *

Taylor walked into his office at 5am and was surprised if not equally annoyed to find St Claire sitting at his desk working the large plex screen with Sagara standing to the side talking into his radio in a low voice. Her talk of not taking over were definitely just that talk. She looked up at him, noting his presence. He couldn't help but notice how she looked like she had slept well with no signs of any hangover he had anticipated. He wished he could say the same as the booze had given him a migraine.

"Good Morning Commander, I'm glad you're here. I want to start talking about getting ahead on my schedule for the colony and bringing in the first pilgrimage to come through day after tomorrow. I've already spoken with my people on the other side."

"How did you get a connection out here?" Taylor asked as they were barely able to get a strong connection to 2149 through the portal when it was active and forget about it when it was deactive.

"The fracture never closes and since we have opened the fracture our communication devices appear to be operational. Well once we used you markers to boost the signal" St Claire told him.

"Well we aren't prepared for a pilgrimage there-" Taylor started he was going to explain that they had barely rebuilt the colony and would need to clear more ground for housing and expand the crops to cope with the increased population not mentioning the need to increase crops for General St Claire's plans to send food stuff back to 2157.

"Which is why I want the Phoenix soldiers and 10 of the sixers will be put into a transport and taken to the badlands. We will trade them through for the first pilgrimage of women and children. They can take up the empty cells until housing becomes available" St Claire said.

"I don't like the sound of putting civilians into a prison wing" Taylor told her. He preferred giving them a fresh start with their own house but he could see St Claire was not going to change her mind.

"Trust me they'll find the cell rooms a veritable paradise to what they will have left behind and it's only temporary. They won't complain and I want this to happen. It will benefit the Colony as it will rid you of large portion of your penal colony. I don't need to tell you how that will free up your roster and before you ask the criminals being sent back will be sent to prison to live out the remainder of their days" St Claire told him.

She knew she was pushing the schedule she had planned to an earlier time but she had forgotten how obstinate Taylor could be and she wanted to get a foothold on the Terminus before he decided to work around her. The less time he had to plan a resistance the easier it would be for her to take over full command of the Colony.

She already sent word back to 2157 and they were fine with the bump up in the schedule. But then they had been prepping for months, so the schedule being moved up was not an issue but a well needed boost in moral for her troop. What Taylor didn't know was that half of the women being sent through were soldiers told to lay low and pretend to be civilians mixed in with genuine refugee women and children.

"I prefer to work swiftly on this and I hope you agree with me that it's best the Phoenix Soldiers are removed from the colony"

"What about the main population of Sixers?" Taylor asked as he didn't say whether he agreed with her not. He wasn't ready to have the symbiotic relationship St Claire was trying to pull him into.

"I have a soldier, Lieutenant Cross. She is a highly qualified interrogator. She will come through on this pilgrimage with the women and children. I will have her interview them individually and then vet your soldiers make sure there are no ticking bombs" St Claire said, she really wanted Lieutenant Cross to find the true followers of Taylors and earmark them for later reference. So they could round them up before kicking Taylor off his throne.

"I vouch for my soldiers, they are fit and loyal to their government" Commander Taylor told her.

"Forgive me if your logs give me the impression they are not" St Claire said.

"You've read my logs already?" Taylor said.

"Yes, I had trouble sleeping. It's the lack of noise. The Lieutenant's main purpose is to ascertain what the Sixers know and their true identities first which I'm sure will keep her busy for the next following weeks" St Claire told him.

"The Sixers won't talk" Taylor told her firmly.

"Well no offence but Lieutenant Cross is a more skilled interrogator than you and I put together. I also want a space organised for her to these specifications. Since you know the colony and your roster better than I. So I will leave this in your hands" St Claire told him holding a steely gaze with him.

"Yes Ma'am" Taylor said accepting the order as he knew butting heads and causing dissension with General St Claire would be a bad move on his part. St Claire gave him a smile of condescension.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me I believe Dr Wallace wanted to regale Dr Covington, Mr Richards and myself with the discoveries you have found since setting up here. I'll leave Major Sagara at your disposal" St Claire told him, she nodded to Sagara who stepped forward but remained in his stiff military posture. Taylor watched as St Claire left the Command Centre he tried to squash the annoyance he found at her less than subtle advance in taking over his command.

He looked down at the plex and read the specifications Lieutenant Cross would need inwardly grateful that the brig would fit the requirements. He wondered how a lowly Lieutenant would make a Sixer talk but then knowing St Claire it would be man who didn't care what he had to do as long as it reaped results. He then moved to the next item, the removal of the Phoenix Soldiers from his Colony.

He read the orders the Phoenix Soldiers would be transported to a prison on the other side in 2157 but it didn't seem right, all of it felt wrong like he was handing the soldiers over to only have them come back. But shrugged it off as he didn't want to be forever paranoid and knew it would ultimately drive him insane.

* * *

In 2157,

"Lieutenant, I don't see what you're going to learn from keeping that 'thing' alive" Dr Shepparton said to Lieutenant Aayla Cross as he walked into the observation room about an isolation room. Her sandy brown hair was pulled back into a clean French roll, not a tendril of hair was out of place and her makeup was light and natural complementing her grass green eyes and pale olive skin. She wore grey urban camo BDUs, the sleeves rolled to her elbows and a side arm strapped to her thigh. Her Rebreather and cover along with a heavy coat were sitting on one of the four chairs in the room, while she stood at the railing looking down.

The thing he referred to was a stray human who had gone completely wild from being outside the dome for an undetermined time. The human was an adult male roughly between the ages of 20-30, his build was healthy but his mind was gone. Right now he paced the room like an animal huffing, snorting and every once and while breaking out into fits tearing the furniture apart. Screaming at nothing, so much aggression and energy, he was just one of million survivors that managed to survive outside the dome. Something the Military wanted to know why and how they survived, hence Aayla had been tasked to the project when she wasn't pulled to other assignments.

"Well I could see why you have trouble since you always did lack imagination" Aayla drawled, she didn't take her eyes off the room as she knew Shepparton was only here for one reason.

"Charming as ever. I need your consultation on a matter regarding the clones" He told her, she gave a sardonic smile as she hated working with the clones.

"Please don't tell me you saw another 'Ghost in the Shell'. I'm tired of staring into empty heads waiting for a flicker of humanity" She told him, they had had an outbreak of aberrant behaviour in their clones as they started showing signs of individualism and defiant even belligerent behaviour instead of being placid little dolls that followed orders.

She of course as well as three other experts had spent the last three months picking out the faulty clones to be neutralized. It had been painstakingly long and boring process.

"It's your job" he told her, Aayla turned from the window to face the Doctor who held out a plex to her.

"Great, what model am I looking at today?" She asked.

"K- series" He told her.

"Again? It's the most defective series produced, why don't you just scrap the whole line?" Aayla asked him as she looked over the formal request on the plex and what the staff had witnessed.

"Because we need the bodies"

"Of course" Aayla said as she picked up the phone. "Observation room, Lieutenant Cross speaking." She said on the phone.

"_Lieutenant Cross, Commander Zhen has requested you to his Office"_

"When?" Aayla said looking at her watch as she was supposed to pick up her son in 20 minutes and she knew Commander Zhen was a talker.

"_Now"_

"On my way" Aayla said, she hung up the phone and handed the Plex to Dr Shepparton. "I've been called to Commander's office, you'll have to find someone else" She told him.

* * *

Back in Terra Nova,

Amelia felt nervous as she went through her hand rehab exercises with Alicia in the Infirmary. Her hand was coming along nicely but it wasn't as strong as it used to be at least not yet and her muscles ached. Alicia assured her all it would take is time and not over doing her exercises.

She was also nervous about the fact that even though Alicia assured her that it would be completely confidential that she was getting a birth control shot. It didn't change the fact Amelia felt like it was one of those things that everyone would know and look down their noses at her. It was embarrassing to have the most passionate moment of her life to date to be sprung by Alicia and Boylan. Boylan was the worst as he teased her mercilessly about her growing up and already sinking her teeth into the worst of bad boys in the colony.

Amelia was also nervous because she wasn't sure if she was going to run into Lucas and if she did what would she say to him. What if he changed his mind after getting caught and didn't want to court her? She tried not to laugh at the lingo of 'courting' as she would have normally thought of it as dating. She really hoped he hadn't changed his mind as she wanted to experience more pleasure with him, spend time with him that wasn't revolving around calculations and maybe live out a few of her juvenile fantasies of going out on a proper date.

Not that she was sure what a proper date was for a person from 2149 or how one was supposed to act but then she had never been on a date. Just thinking about that notion made even more nervous as she wasn't even sure of anything.

"Hey what's the frown for?" Alicia asked snapping Amelia out of her thoughts. Amelia looked to her and mustered a smile.

"I was thinking about the winter festival" Amelia said pulling the best excuse she could instead of admitting the truth.

"Well if you need me to talk with Adriana I will. I personally think that it is a wonderful idea which reminds me I should give you a vaccination for Sincyllic Fever." Alicia told her.

"Ok, it's not going to make me sick is it?" Amelia asked her.

"Some people experience some side effects. Dizziness, fever, headaches but it passes in a couple of days. We'll keep an eye on you" Alicia told her in a slightly rich tone as if Amelia was a trouble kid who was going to get into mischief.

"It's not going to affect the other injection?" Amelia asked.

"No, you don't need to worry about any weird interactions. I'll be right back" Alicia told her. Amelia nodded and looked around the infirmary as Alicia went to a Lab desk to the side of the room and opened a couple of drawers pulling out what she needed.

The place was a flurry of activity as boxes were being unpacked and new equipment being pulled out of boxes and assembled in the room. Dr Shannon was talking with Dr Canzales and another Doctor Amelia hadn't seen. He wore a white coat like the other doctors and they seemed to be deferring to him on whatever they were discussing as he was talking the most and gesturing to the equipment from the others.

A few moments later, Alicia returned and Amelia handed over her arm.

"It'll just be a pinch" Alicia said as she ready the syringe for with the vaccination.

"Just stick it in and get it over with" Amelia told her as she refused to watch, she heard Alicia stifle a chuckle and looked to the woman to see what was so funny as Alicia was trying really hard to keep a straight face.

"What?"Amelia asked her.

"You're so innocent for an Army brat." Alicia cooed at her as she gave Amelia the injections and then cleaned up the tray and took off the gloves she had been wearing tossing them into a waste bin to the side of the bed.

"Is that a compliment?" Amelia asked as she frowned at Alicia's humour.

"It's just an odd fact I find amusing. Now, you're good to go. Be free and do what you wish as long as it's not with Lucas because he still hasn't asked permission to court you" Alicia reminded her in a low voice and a cheeky smile.

"Thanks, just when I feel like I can't be any more embarrassed you go and say something like that" Amelia said as she felt her face flush a deeper red. It was like she was going to be permanently red faced.

"I'm your pseudo parent it's my job to embarrass you. So go, I've run out of material to work with and if you feel ill just send me a message on my plex ok?" Alicia told her.

"Ok" Amelia said as she hopped off the bio bed.

"Good, I'll see you at dinner" Alicia told her. She watched as Amelia left the infirmary like a bat out of hell ducking her head as she walked past Commander Taylor. The girl had no poker face as her cheeks burned hotly. Anyone could tell she was embarrassed and it would only fuel as to what she could possibly be embarrassed about.

* * *

Amelia had made it half way to the art supply stall when she nearly ran straight into Dunham. It was a habit she needed to break as it didn't help her heart or general disposition to always be falling over Dunham.

"Dunham" she said with a friendly if not strained smile. She was already red faced from getting her first birth control shot and felt like it was stamped on her forehead. She was hoping if she asked Adriana to appraise her work with the possibility of showing it at the winter festival then it would be over with and then Amelia could get on with life instead of thinking about it constantly on top with Lucas and their kiss last night.

"Hey, you alright? You look a little flushed" Dunham said.

"I worked out this morning sometimes it takes a little while for my normal colour to return" She said taking a deep breath for her frayed nerves. She even tried to fan her face but knew it was useless.

"Yeah I get that" he said in a friendly manner as he ate up her lie but it wasn't like she was going to say 'Well I was making out with Lucas Taylor on my kitchen bench and was caught by Alicia who decided it was best I was on a method of birth control because she didn't want me to get knocked up'. "So what you up to?" he asked.

"Ah getting art supplies" She told him pointing to the stall.

"Already?" he asked.

"I'm a prolific painter" she answered with a shrug. She hadn't planned to buy anything but now she was going to just so she wasn't lying to Dunham.

"Have you seen her work? It's quite amazing work" Lucas said from behind Amelia. Amelia turned to see him standing behind her looking handsome as ever in a tan cotton shirt and navy cargo pants. He moved to Amelia's side and looked to Dunham who looked at Lucas like he was the dirt upon his shoes. Lucas didn't care as long as he made Dunham back off.

He had been walking on his way to the main labs to talk to Dr Wallace about fine tuning the terminus when he saw Amelia talking with Dunham. Jealousy and possessiveness grew in him like a hot flame as he saw Amelia smiling and blushing at the idiot soldier. He knew the soldier had to be flirting with her and paying her compliments to warrant such a reaction and Lucas didn't like it.

"Aren't you supposed to be under house arrest?" Dunham asked Lucas in a slightly uptight manner. Lucas gave a closed lipped smile as apparently Dunham didn't like him on a personal level because of the occupation or maybe it was because of how close he was purposefully standing next to Amelia. He leaned more towards it being about Amelia because if it wasn't the guy would have walked away. He was incredibly tempted to wrap an arm around Amelia's shoulders to see how Dunham would react but didn't just in case Alicia saw and decided to break his legs.

"I guess you didn't hear? I have been granted parole. I'm allowed to roam the colony with exception of secure areas" Lucas told him.

"Huh" Dunham said clearly unimpressed.

"Yes, General St Claire felt my good behaviour and hard work deserved a reward." Lucas said a little smug that he was more loquacious than Dunham, he also knew by just interacting with him. Amelia would see the stark differences between the two of them and realise he, Lucas was the better choice.

"Well, Amelia I was wondering if I could have the honour of taking you out to lunch" Dunham told him, Amelia opened her mouth to say something but Lucas got in first as now it time to make it clear to Dunham he was staking his territory.

"She already has plans with me after we go to the art stall and talk with Adriana" Lucas said, Dunham's face dropped a little at the news as he was surprised he looked down at Amelia who was looking pale.

"So you're getting your work appraised?" Dunham asked Amelia.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it" She mumbled with a shake of the head and a half shrug. She could muster anything more as she was feeling incredibly lightheaded from the exchange going on between the men and Lucas's close proximity. She could smell the spicy soap, clean clothes and masculine musk as he stood very close to her. It was incredibly intoxicating as it brought back memories of last night.

"Dunham" Guzman called out, Dunham turned to see the Sergeant made a gesture for him to come over and gave a sigh as he had to go when what he really wanted to do wipe the smug smile off Lucas's face.

"I gotta go, raincheck for lunch?" he asked her, he looked at Amelia who gave a slight nod in a 'yes' which made him happy before he looked to Lucas one more time as if sizing up the competition before leaving them to run over to where Guzman stood.

"Really? Dunham?" Lucas asked Amelia once Dunham was out of earshot.

"Will is nice" Amelia told him, feeling incredibly hassled by Lucas's opinion and him showing up and being territorial when he didn't even tell her what was going on between them.

"Will?" Lucas asked incredulously.

"It's his name" Amelia said taking a step away from him to create space between them for her sake so he wouldn't muddle her senses so intensely.

"Well I didn't think you two were on a first name basis. Also he's an idiot, you shouldn't encourage him" Lucas told Amelia, she made a face of annoyance at him which he found incredibly adorable.

"You know I'm not supposed to talk to you" Amelia told him, annoyed that he was telling her whom she could talk to and making her feel like a little girl.

"Oh really?" he asked her with amusement, he remembered Alicia's threats but also knew the woman was working in the infirmary at the moment and it wasn't like he had left the house with the purpose of seeing Amelia. He just happened upon her in the Market place.

"Yeah, Alicia says that you have to ask her permission to court me" Amelia started to say but Lucas cut her off.

"Well actually I first have to declare my intentions first then I ask her permission to court you and so forth" he told her.

"You know whatever. This is all way too confusing" Amelia said getting flustered.

"I don't see how it is" Lucas said calmly.

"How would you? you're the one who knows what's going on! I'm just left in the dark here" Amelia said rather dramatically but she felt like she had no idea what was going on and she didn't like it.

"Now I'm confused" he said.

"You say you're the wrong guy for me and reject me and now you're paroled. You come to my house and you show up here and purposefully but I don't know what that means to you or anything. I feel like you're yanking my strings" She said in a low voice as they were in the main square with many people pretending that they weren't watching or eavesdropping.

"You forgot about the kiss" he asked her in low but smug voice.

"Trust me I haven't forgotten it" she told him, he could see the desire in her eyes and the way she tilted her head up at such an angle that he knew she wanted him to kiss her again.

"Which is why" Lucas leaned forward so his head was close to hers so anyone looking at them would see he was whispering to her and not making an overture. "I declare my intentions Amelia Jones, I wish to court you" he said in a low voice close to her ear.

"I don't even know what that means" Amelia said a little breathlessly as she couldn't help but feel flustered by his close proximity.

"It means I want to date you and see where this goes" he told her, his breath tickling her ear making her insides melt.

"And what about all the reasons you gave me about us not being a good match and my reputation being ruined by being associated with you in that manner" Amelia asked folding her arms across her chest trying to maintain some control over herself as she really wanted to touch him.

"This Colony is going to open up and grow exponentially with people who benefitted from me reopening the portal to here. Public opinion will sway invalidating my previous concerns and frankly I don't care what these small minded and shallow people think anymore. I want you" he told her.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"It is an amazing feat of technological advancement" Malcolm finished in awe after he explained in great detail to Taylor what was so fascinating and the science behind the latest equipment General St Claire had brought with her.

"It is?" Taylor asked him, because all he heard from the explanation was 'blah blah technical words, something about meteoric ore, blah blah' from the scientist as he held out a tool that looked more like a gun than a digging implement.

"Yes, it will revolutionise the way we mine meteoric ore" Malcolm told, Taylor flinched slightly when Malcolm waved it around as he didn't like being on the recieving end on anything that was meant to blast rocks into dust.

"It doesn't look like much" Alicia said when she came into the room and stood next to Taylor. He smiled at her presence as he was still getting used to her role as a civilian. While she maintained her physique, she wore her hair was a little less severely groomed and even now he could smell the soft scent of her mixed in with light tinge of some kind of fragrance he couldn't place.

He knew it was new because every soldier was taught to mask their scent and wearing scented cologne or perfume was right out. Obviously Alicia was making up for lost time and enjoying civilian life and it's luxury like scented soap. She definitely knew how make a man want her as he knew whenever she was close to him and that scent reached him, all he could think about them naked, tangled in white bed sheets and slick with sweat. But now was not the time for thoughts like that as he turned his attention back to Malcolm who was explaining the device to Alicia.

"Oh it is amazing, it uses controlled magnetic harmonic resonance. In Layman's, you input the depth and the density of what you want to breach, turn it on and it turns solid matter into nothing, you could walk through walls without disturbing the infrastructure and risking collapse" Malcolm said with an excited smile.

"What happens if you're inside a mountain and the hamonic frequency stops?" Alicia asked him folding her arms looking to him. Malcolm made a face and looked down for a second like he really didn't want to say but answered anyway.

"Well then matter you destabilised would restabilise breaking your body apart" he said in a casual manner. Alicia and Taylor both grimaced as it didn't sound like a pleasant way to die.

"I don't see how it will revolutionise mining, if anything it sounds like it makes it more dangerous" Alicia said sceptically.

"Well as you know we can scan for meteoric ore deposits but we usually have to dig it up and test for quality which takes hours if not days not to mention the environmental damage from just digging for a sample large enough to test. With this it would take less than hour as you could drop a person into the ground and take a sample with minimal disruption to the environment." Malcolm explained his enthusaism returned to him as Alicia couldn't help but be a little impressed with the outcomes that could be made with such a tool at their disposal.

"Right, well I'm here to ask for the access code to the main storage facility so I can get the medical supplies and equipment for the pilgrimage coming tomorrow which means one of you either have to give me your thumb or come with me" She said as the storage containers were locked with biometric security systems.

"I'll take you and Malcolm, we'll pick this up later" Taylor said to Malcolm, happy to escape the labs and be with Alicia even for just a short amount of time.

"Of course" Malcolm said with a smile as he was happy to continue opening up all the containers of new equipment and supplies St Claire had 'blessed' them with. It was a good thing Taylor reminded himself that they wouldn't run out of anything for a long time. Alicia and Taylor were about to leave when Taylor turned back getting Malcolm's attention.

"Ah don't go walking through walls or anything with that thing Ok" Taylor told the british man. He could tell Malcolm was dying to test it our. Alicia smothered a smile as she could see Malcolm looked a little put out by being told he couldn't use his new toy, she looked to Taylor who motioned for her to lead the way.

They left the main research labs and started walking towards the east side of the colony where the storage containers were kept.

"So I heard you and Sagara caught up last night" Taylor said casually, though he would never admit it he felt a slight twinge of jealousy as he had caught a glimpse of her nicely dressed up walking with Sagara. They both looked like they were having a good time, he wondered idly if there was something still between them.

"I heard General St Claire was at your house last night. Want to tell me about that?" Alicia asked him as she didn't see why they always had to talk about her lovelife. That and she wanted to take the heat off herself as she really didn't want to talk about Sagara. She also wondered if the rumours flying around about Taylor and St Claire getting cosy held any truth to them. She wouldn't be surprised if St Claire tried something, the woman would do just about anything if it meant getting what she wanted.

"We had a couple of drinks she told me about what happened when we destroyed Hope Plaza, the wars they are fighting now, what happened to the people outside the domes and how they are more like animals than people" Taylor said as they walked together.

"Hideaki told me the same, it's horrifying but in some ways I'm just surprised at how they lost their humanity so quickly but then I have no concept of the degradation anymore" Alicia said with a shake of the head, Taylor agreed they had focussed on the Colony and Terra Nova making it the best they could that many of thoughts and memories of what they left were just faded and distant in their minds.

"St Claire is bringing in an trained interrogator to pull information from the Sixers." Taylor said changing the topic slightly as he really didn't want Alicia pointing out his interest in her lovelife was more invested than a friend should be.

"I'm surprised she isn't doing it herself" Alicia voice dripped with venom as Taylor was sure she wanted to say that St Claire had plenty of experience torturing people and enjoyed demoralising people on a daily basis.

"Apparently this person is an expert" Taylor remarked.

"You haven't seen their personal file?" Alicia asked incredulously as she couldn't imagine Taylor allowing someone he hadn't even met or read their personal file into the colony.

"I will when she reports to me, all I know is her name is Lieutenant Cross" he said, which didn't narrow the list of people it might be as Cross was a very common last name.

"Means nothing to me, so what will happen to the Sixers if they survive this Lieutenant and her 'persuasive' techniques of making them talk?" Alicia asked.

"Some will stay depending on their knowledge of the land. They had travelled more extensively than we have" Taylor said.

"And the others?"

"Back to 2157 like the Phoenix Soldiers will be tomorrow"

"To die, you know that they'll be shot on the otherside of the portal" Alicia said stopping to look at him. She wanted to see if it bothered him to know he was sending the prisoners to their deaths.

"Possibly but that is General St Claire's decision not mine but I do agree with her that they can't stay here." Taylor said looking her head on as they always disagreed on the subject of Capital Punshiment and the Bylaws. They locked eyes for a long time as Taylor waited for her response. Alicia stared at him hard before giving in as she didn't have the motivation to argue, so she continued walking and changed tact.

"Ok, well I was talking to Dr Covington and he said that we have to prepare for not only Oxygen toxicity but also malnourishment. Apparently the population is living off hydroponically grown tofu and nutritional supplement gel packs" Alicia told him as they went back to walking.

"The stuff we've been stockpiling longer than I've been alive?" he asked her in disbelief and slight disgust as Nutritional Supplement gel packs made MREs look and taste like a meal from a 3 Mischelin star restaurant.

"I don't know how long have you been around?" She asked him in a teasing manner. A cheeky smile played her lips as she looked to him to answer.

"Don't get cute" he told her, in a slightly dark manner even though he was inwardly smiling. Alicia gave a shrug and continued.

"Apparently their supplies are so low that they are mixing the tofu with supplement gel to help it extend their stores. I was thinking maybe you should suggest sending a team out to the coast line and see if we can harvest kelp to send through with bush food" She told him.

"Bush food" Taylor said, as he hadn't even occurred to him that they could harvest food as it had been a few years since they had all but given most of it up from their diet as the crops had thrived.

"We might turn our noses up at it now but we all thrived on it while we were building the colony from the ground up. It's a possible compromise so we don't end up stretching our food supplies and end up with shortages. It will also allow us to expand our crops to compensate for expected increase in the population." Alicia said. Taylor liked how she talked as if she were still his lieutenant and making suggestions to improve the colony.

"That's a good idea, tell me why you quit being my second in command?" Taylor asked.

"Because the hours and pay were lousy" She quipped.

* * *

"Heard you won a ticket to the Promised Land Lieutenant" Doctor Derek Scott said with a smile as he sat down opposite her and her son in the busy mess hall. Aayla always sat in the darkest corner away from the other soldiers, scientists and their spouses as majority of them were scared of her and disgusted that she brought her child into the mess even one as quiet and well behaved as her son.

"That I did, only because she needs an interrogator and the added bonus that I'm a woman with a kid" Aayla said as her 14 month old son Ethan sat in her lap, it was only because the mess wasn't equipped for children. She wished she could have kept breast feeding the boy as it was much easier battle than making him eat the rationed synthesised food on a daily basis but her work didn't make it viable for her to continue.

"Trust me I wish I had slipped one by Melinda so she could go through on this trip." Derek said as he smiled at them, they worked together in the same department and were good friends. His wife who worked afternoon shift in the hospital helped Aayla out by taking Ethan during the day. The added bonus of their friendship was that Melinda was able to procure items from her work for Ethan that Aayla wasn't allowed access to such as medical supplies and baby formula. General St Claire believed male babies and children were a drain on resources and gave nothing to the future unlike female children.

Hence why Aayla suffered financially as well as socially for having a son even though she was one of the highest ranking Psy-ops officers in the Dome. Her position allowed her to keep her son as her skills and knowledge base were in high demand and also meant she was kept safely away from the front lines. Commander Zhen had made it clear that Aayla was allowed to keep her son as long as he didn't get in the way of her duties, they shared the same allotment of rations as he refused to allow an extra allotment for her child and Aayla never asked for special compensations or considerations. So many provisos she wouldn't have had if she had had a girl.

"You don't look happy. One would think you'd be ecstatic take little Ethan and go to the land of the free where food- Real food exists, do you understand that you'll be chewing on real meat and vegetables instead of ingesting your food in liquid form with synthesized enzymes and protein extracts" Derek said as he tried to drink his cup of slush, Aayla felt sorry for him as he was under the same delusion as every other person in the dome besides a small handful of people who knew the truth. The truth that Terra nova was not a utopia but just a continuation of the hell they were in.

"I don't know why you complain about the food-" Aayla started but Derek cut her off.

"Because this food is truly offensive to the human senses. My taste buds and ol'factory senses are being tortured with this gunk" Derek told her dramatically. Aayla rolled her eyes at him as he always had a flair for the dramatics when it came to food.

"Whatever, you should be grateful to have something to eat without resorting to eating your own kind like the people outside the dome" Aayla told him.

"Anyway besides the benefit of solid food, you get to breathe real fresh air for the first time in your life before you have to share it with the rest of us" He said, St Claire had told them all at social function that the reopening of the fracture would mean the salvation of Humanity that all civilians and soldiers alike would be sent to Terra Nova where they would help the Colony expand and thrive.

She remembered standing next to her husband Lieutenant Commander Xavier Cross, she remembered how handsome he looked cleaned up and in full dress uniform with all his buttons and medals gleaming. She of course donned a silk steel blue navy floor length gown with cap sleeves and a deep v neckline and tan and silver belt cinched at the waist for the event. It had been the most expensive and only dress she ever owned. They hadn't seen one another in over a year and instead of locking themselves away in the tiny studio to become properly reacquainted of one another, they went to the event as it was their duty.

Some government and order was restored and had been stabled for 5 years. It looked like they had a real chance of survival but it all tipped on reopening the fracture. It was when social forms started playing back into their society to boost morale. Aayla listened to St Claire and felt the sense of hope unfurl in them that their children would thrive in past.

Aayla and Xavier had been lodged to go on the Twelfth pilgrimage, they were both career military but with different command units and they had been looking forward to the transfer and working on the same base and living together for the first time in the fresh marriage at the time. So when Hope Plaza had been destroyed and war broke out they knew their plans and dreams were destroyed with it. So when St Claire announced they found the fracture it brought all those hopes back. Hope lead to celebrations and 3 months later Aayla was pregnant and they were over the moon as it meant there would be a possibility that their son would breathe fresh air and see the sun and blue sky.

What they didn't realise was that the speech of a brighter future for humanity had been the biggest load of lies ever utter in one room. Even a Campaigning Politician spewed less lies than St Claire. A few months after the event, her husband had been called into a meeting of Commanders and Lieutenant Commanders after the event to discuss the ten year projection on the project and the current war and the outcomes.

Xavier had come home in a dark mood and told her what was discussed even though her clearance wasn't high enough. He said how St Claire wanted to take over Terra Nova and turn it into her own little slice of heaven where she was the queen. They would come in under the guise of friendship and then take control once they outnumbered Taylor and the colony numbers. They would then start strip mining to build what they needed to raid other realities for their resources. There was talk of using clone armies to make up for their dwindling population to finish the war in their reality before moving onto Terra Nova. She remembered how angry he was at thinking they would be together living some utopian life with their unborn son. A son he never held in his arms before his died.

She leaned her head down next to her son's and looked at him, marvelling at how he looked more like his father every day. The only thing he inherited from her was her hair colour everything else she knew was from Xavier's genetics. Dark brown eyes, pale skin, stubborn chin everything a reminder of her late husband but in a good way. She ladled the spoon with a small amount of the puce coloured goo that was their ration and tried to coax him into eating it.

Normally he quite happily fed himself even if he did it a little messily he was learning after all but when he didn't like what was on the menu he refused to eat. She didn't blame him the 13 alpha nutritional supplement packs were watered down and blended with extra tofu to give it substance was possibly the most horrid combination of tastes to every exist in one cup but it didn't change the fact that he had to eat it. Aayla never complained as it was food but her son had decided he hated it and wouldn't have any of it.

"No" Ethan mumbled shaking his sandy brown head refusing to eat. He babbled something incoherent but his tone all to the negative which she took for his way of saying 'I'm not eating that, now leave me alone' as he turned haphazrdly in her lap and buried his face into her jacket as if it would save him from having to eat his dinner. She gave a tired sigh and rubbed a hand up and down his back in a comforting manner as she felt for him and for herself as she was always questioning herself as a mother and feeling guilty for not being able to give him more.

"See even the half pint agrees with me. But it's only on Thursdays that this stuff tastes the worst, here have the rest of mine" Derek said with a smile as he pushed his cup toward Aayla.

"You sure?" she asked him.

"You always ask me this every Thursday and the answer is the same. Yes, drink and be merry. I can't stomach it. I'll wait for my three cups of lime goo tomorrow, plus you need some meat on your bones" he told her, it was true she had lost considerable amount of weight after she weaned Ethan off the breast but only because she gave nearly, if not all of her food to her son.

"Gee thanks" she said before taking the food she was not above accepting charity especially food. She placed the spoon she had been trying to feed Ethan with back into her cup taking a break. She knew Ethan would surrender and eat the food when he realised he'd rather eat than be hungry like he always did every Thursday for breakfast and dinner when they were given their food allotment.

She picked up Derek's cup, and steeled herself as she knew it was going to be a struggle. She downed half the cup before she had to stop. She closed her eyes and tried to think of it being anything other than what it was as her body shivered in revulsion.

"You know I'm going to miss our times eating together like this, it's the only time I see that you actually have a soul" he told her with a hint of humour.

"Is that because he's currently sitting in my lap and hiding from the yucky food?" Aayla said in a mockingly sweet voice as she referred to her son. Many people said she was made of ice and had no sense of humanity left in her. That was usually until the notion was dispelled by her son. Whenever she wasn't with her son she felt like she was made of ice, unfeeling and cold so in a way Ethan was her heart and soul.

"Exactly" he answered before giving her a grin.

* * *

"I agree with your suppositions but I can't see how we could maintain a stable connection remotely, it has be done on site by hand and you are the only one who has the knowhow and expertise to do it" Malcolm said as he sat back in his chair behind his desk. Lucas sat opposite him in one of the guest chairs in the office.

"I know but we need something or someone just in case I am incapacitated or unable to work to step up and take my place" Lucas said, he didn't want to be continuously back and forth from the badlands to work the terminus. Hence why he was brainstorming with Malcolm.

"What about Amelia?" Malcolm asked.

"She has the potential but no drive to learn" Lucas said as he wasn't really sure how to explain it in a politer way.

"Then motivate her" Malcolm said. Lucas tried not to make a face as Malcolm's advice wasn't helpful.

"I don't think I can, she is currently rebelling against returning to her education" Lucas said, he saw the artworks and knew she was enjoying herself. He also knew she found physics challenging to the point she felt it was too hard for her. Malcolm took a deep breath while giving Lucas's problem some thought.

"If I have it correctly she comes from a strict family and a very structured life. Perhaps you should allow her to enjoy her freedom and encourage her until she grows bored and then returns back to academic studies" Malcolm offered, he of course knew it was not what Lucas wanted to hear but Malcolm knew from having to suffer through having interns that young people at Amelia's age needed more growing space so they came to the conclusion about what they wanted to do instead of being forced into a career path they hated.

"Really, your advice is to allow her to delay her studies in the hope she'll get bored of painting and want to learn theoretical physics again?" Lucas asked Malcolm as it wasn't helpful at all.

"Worth a try otherwise you could talk to General St Claire, there has to be someone on their side who has a strong mathematical background they can spare" Malcolm offered.

"Right" Lucas said the last person he wanted to talk to was St Claire, in fact he rather be off her radar completely but didn't have the luxury of doing so as he was the only one who could manipulate and maintain a connection with 2157.

"Until then perhaps you should compile you work into a workable user manual." Malcolm said.

"I'll try" Lucas said dryly.

"Good, also you'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon to open the portal again"

"So soon?"

"Yes, they are transferring the Phoenix soldiers back to 2157 and bringing through a small pilgrimage of women and children" Malcolm said in a banal manner as he didn't really care but then it didn't affect his work or life.

"Strange move" Lucas mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?" Malcolm asked.

"Nothing, if you'll excuse me. I'll go and get started on that manual" he drawled in a dry tone as he was sure he could never dumb down what he knew so someone like his father could use it.

* * *

"Major Sagara, tell me good news" St Claire said as she welcomed the Major into the house she had been given. It was cramped compared to her living arrangements in 2157 but not that she would ever say so to Commander Taylor or anyone else as she needed their cooperation not their annoyance.

"We are right on schedule, the convoy will leave in the morning tomorrow to be in the badlands ready for the incoming wave of women and children" Sagara told her. He did everything General St Claire said for him to do. He made sure the most sickly of their orphan children were paired with female soldiers and mixed into the group of some soldier's wives who mothers with their own broods. General St Claire didn't care for the orphans as they were a drain on their system as they brought nothing and ate up resources. St Claire would have sent them outside the dome but she had to show she had a 'heart' to keep the people loyal to her. At least now they were going to be helpful for the first time in their existance.

There was the added bonus that the children would make the civilians and Taylor melt into action of wanting to make everything better for them. As such if the children were reared back to good health then they could be trained to be soldiers or harvested when their organs were fully developed and viable.

"Good, I have to say nothing will garner sympathy than a few malnourished children and women. You'll see it tomorrow. Also when you greet Lieutenant Cross at the Portal you tell her I want her to report to the Command Centre immediately upon arrival to start work" St Claire said as she turned her back to Sagara and placing her hands on her hips as she thought of what else she needed to tell him.

"Ma'am, she has a son-"

"I don't care, she may be exceptional in her field but I will not be inconvenienced because she couldn't keep up with her shots and then decided to birth a boy and worse keep him alive. How entirely useless" St Claire mumbled the last bit before turning to face Sagara. She gave him a slow smile.

"Tell me what did you and Lieutenant Washington talk about?" She asked changing the topic.

"We talked about our past why we didn't work out" Sagara said carefully as he didn't want to give too much away. He already knew why St Claire was prying. It wasn't interest in idle gossip or his love life.

"Tell me is there anything there to work with?" she asked.

"I believe so" he said in a neutral tone.

"Good because if anyone is going to form a resistance it would be her. I need you on her side so when she forms a resistance we know every member and be able to take them all in and make an example of them when the time comes. So I want you to get as cosy as you can with her and that is an order" St Claire told him.

"Yes, Ma'am" he said, he knew better than to go behind St Claire's back and disobey orders even ones as morally objectionable as what she wanted him to do.

"Good, now I should let you go so you can lay further inroads with Lieutenant Washington. I assume she is going out the terminus to greet the pilgrimage as a medic ride along?" St Claire asked.

"Yes, she is" he told her. He could see the woman was pleased by the news.

"Good, you're dismissed" She told him.

* * *

"Ok, so I'll be gone for nearly two days. Remember to eat, ok?" Alicia told Amelia as she helped Boylan set up for dinner, he was cooking a large wok filled with enough stir fried vegetables and noodles to feed six people. It smelt heavenly.

"I will" Amelia said as she placed cutlery on the table.

"And congratulations on the appraisal, Adriana dropped by the Infirmary. She said she was really impressed with your work and she wants the showcase it all. She's never wanted to do that before" Alicia said.

"How do you know?" Amelia asked as she hadn't told anyone about Adriana appraising her work. The woman had been so enthralled with Amelia's work she wanted to display every finished piece Amelia had at the Winter Festival.

"Because she told me when I ran into her on the way home. Adriana wants Amelia to showcase everything she has finished" Alicia said to Boylan looking completely chuffed about it.

"Really aye? Always knew you were more than a pretty face" Boylan teased with a smile.

"You guys didn't tell her to just give me a placing did you?" Amelia asked her, Boylan started laughing as Alicia shot him a look of censure not that it helped as the older man just laughed at the idea of Alicia throwing around her weight and asking for favours.

"No, you got there on your own merit." Alicia assured Amelia.

"It's true, you got there on your own merit. Wash is all about letting people shine on their own than using her influence" Boylan assured her as he pulled out a serving platter and dished out the hot meal to serve at the table. Amelia had opened her mouth to say something when a knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get that" Alicia said as she moved to the door, she pulled it open and found Sagara at her door step, she was surprised to him as she had half expected Lucas to show up to ask for permission to date Amelia. He was never one to do what people asked but Sagara at her door was definitely a nice surprise.

"Hideaki, hey" Alicia said to him, he smiled at her before the movement in the room behind her caught his attention.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your dinner" he said.

"It's ok, we haven't started yet" She told him.

"Oh ok well I'll make it quick, I just wanted to drop by and make sure you know the leave time has been changed to 7am tomorrow" he told her.

"A nice sleep in, thanks for letting me know. Have you eaten yet?" Alicia asked him.

"No, I haven't" he said.

"Then why don't you come on in, there's plenty of food to go round." Alicia said opening the wider and allowing him entrance.

"I don't want to impose" he said politely.

"You're not imposing, come on take a seat. You remember Amelia and that scrub?" Alicia asked as she gestured to Amelia and Boylan. Sagara walked into the house taking his hat off and moved to the table, taking a seat opposite Amelia who was already seated at the table.

"Oi! I am not a scrub" Boylan said defensively as he joined them at the table, sitting next to Amelia in a great show that made Alicia feel like they were high school. Alicia went to the kitchen and pulled out an extra bowl and cutlery for Sagara before joining them. "Anyway I don't know if you remember me as it's been a few years and I've grown more distinguished" Boylan said with a smile to Sagara.

"You mean you've grown more sideways" Alicia said mockingly.

"I'm built for comfort" Boylan told her, he rubbed his chest giving a mocking and steamy 'look at me I'm one sexy beast of a man' as Alicia and Amelia groaned and cringed at his display. Boylan broke into laughter as he got the reaction he wanted while Sagara smiled in good humour.

* * *

_TBC- Cya all soon!_


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Are you prepared for the group?" Sagara asked Elisabeth.

"Yes, we're good to go. So tell me what is the distribution of food rations on the future?" Elisabeth asked Sagara out of curiosity as she and Alicia stood with him waiting for the portal to be opened. The area where the Terminus was, had been set up with medical tents to one side, vehicles on the other side. It was lit with flood lights as it was the dead of night.

Lucas stood to the side working with the terminus and his purple device in hand. Alicia couldn't help but notice Sagara had changed from his BDUs into his dress uniform in the time she and Elisabeth had set up the medical tents.

A small armed group of soldiers stood guarding the two rhinos filled with the Phoenix Soldiers while the others created a net around the area keeping an eye out for the wildlife.

"We try our best but as you know the armies get priority when it comes to the food, while the civilians get what's left over it's 70-30 split of provisions." Sagara said to Elisabeth.

"70-30?" Elisabeth repeated in disbelief even Alicia was shocked by the distribution but said nothing. There were circumstances where the Military had to take preference in resources.

"Technically we have more soldiers than civilians so the split isn't as bad as you think, they are fed and clothed and given shelter" Sagara remarked casually but there was an under current that he felt they were spoiled.

"Yes, I'm sure it's great if you're a soldier" Elisabeth said darkly. Sagara gave a shrug in such a manner as if to say 'that's how it is and I won't argue or defend it'. Alicia knew Elisabeth was not a fan of the newcomers, especially Dr Covington as he and Canzales had teamed up and relegated her to a lower station in the infirmary and didn't allow her any lab time as she had been promised.

Of course, Malcolm had a whole department to carter to and while he did have some say he couldn't be seen to show Elisabeth preferential treatment every time she wasn't happy. Especially with a whole department keep moderately happy and it was common knowledge that while the Shannons' did add to the colony they also came with their bag of troubles and tended to a lot of attention for the wrong reasons.

"Alicia, can I have a minute?" Sagara asked her taking a couple of steps away from Elisabeth and motioning for her to follow him.

"Sure, what is it?" Alicia asked as they moved away from the tent. Elisabeth went about making sure everything ready and her staff were prepared.

"A soldier, Lieutenant Cross is coming through with her son. As a favour to me I was hoping you could chaperone the boy to the Colony. General St Claire wants Lieutenant Cross to report to duty in the Command Centre immediately upon arrival and she has no relatives or associates to take care of her son" He said, Alicia shook her head not bothering to hide her disapproval as she knew Taylor would have given Lieutenant Cross at least a day to acclimate to the oxygen rich environment and find a source of childcare for her son unlike St Claire.

"St. Claire's a piece of work, doesn't she understand we won't get back until tomorrow mid morning earliest?" Alicia asked him as they were doing the trip in a few long legs with a couple of rest breaks but nothing more. It would be a long and exhausting rhino ride especially with children in tow. Sagara gave a nod of his head.

"She is aware which is why I'll be taking Lieutenant Cross in a rover, we will be shooting straight through no breaks. If I have it right we''ll be there sometime after lunch today" Sagara said.

"What's so important that it can't wait?" Alicia asked with a slightly incredulous tone as she felt it was insanity to make such a long trip in one drive.

"St. Claire has plans for the colony and she wants to move things along as quickly and efficiently as possible" Sagara told Alicia, she had a feeling there was more to it than that but remained silent on the matter as she knew better than to push her luck.

"Right, so how old is her son?" Alicia asked him. She folded her arms across her chest wondering exactly what she was getting herself into if she agreed to help out.

"I don't know" Sagara said. Alicia frowned as Military kept extensive records on all their soldiers, and their partners, families that lived on base. She couldn't believe that Sagara would be so sloppy to forget the age of one boy who was the son of someone so important that they wouldn't let her rest before getting to work.

"I take it she's not a friend of yours?" Alicia asked.

"No. We only converse on a professional level and I was once interrogated by her" he said with a slight curve of the lips.

"Ah so she's the 'interrogator' I've been hearing whispers about. How good is she?" Alicia asked looking at him, his expression grew distant as if he were somewhere else for a moment before he shook his head. He looked to her and wore a serious expression.

"The best, but I don't hold what happened in that time against her. She was doing her job" Sagara said.

* * *

Aayla stood at the front of line with her large backpack filled to brink. She had her dress uniform on and a trench coat, it was not comfortable but she didn't care as she held her sleeping son to her chest. No one offered to help her in fact all the soldiers pretended her son wasn't even there as they directed her. The women who Aayla knew were soldiers dressed in civilian clothing pretending to be mothers looked at her with disgust. She wondered if they would even past muster on the other side as they looked at their supposed children with the same disgust.

She looked at the terminus a few meters away which was active with men pouring through all in plasticuffs looking like they were walking to their execution. Whatever their crime was it wasn't her business.

She shifted her hold on Ethan and double checked his rebreather was still in place, the air filtration system for the warehouse where they had set up the Terminus had broken down.

"Lieutenant Cross" A soldier by the Terminus called out. She looked forward squinting as he stood near the bright light of the portal. He waved her over, and she moved to him, ignoring that her 20 kilo bag felt like it 40 kilos as the straps dug into her shoulders and weighed her down. She reached his side and noticed that he looked at plex for a moment.

"You're clear to step through" He told her, Aayla gave a nod acknowledging his words and covered her son's eyes with a hand before closing her own eyes and walking through the portal.

When she opened her eyes again, she had to blink as she was temporarily blinded from the travel and the change in light levels. It was night time but the area around the terminus was lit with flood lights.

She looked around feeling incredibly disorientated as she kept walking straight ahead to clear away from the terminus. She couldn't believe the transition from urban to nature. But there was no real time to appreciate the beauty of it as she heard her name being called and recognised Major Sagara, they had only met a few times but she saw him waving her over. She pulled her rebreather off her face and let it hang on her neck as she moved in his direction on shaky legs, she shifted Ethan into one arm pulled to a stop in front of the Major and gave a salute. He returned the salute.

"Major Sagara, Sir" She said addressing him by rank.

"Lieutenant. You look a little shaky on your feet there. Would you like me to take your son?" Sagara asked his tone formal but his eyes cold. She lifted her rebreather off and marvelled at how crisp and clean the air was. It was slightly intoxicating as she became light headed and slightly nauseous.

"I'm fine Sir" she lied as she adjusted little Ethan in her arms and took his rebreather off so he could breathe in clean air for the first time in his life. She glad he had slept through it all as she knew a screaming child would not present well especially with General St. Claire's XO. She also knew word would get back to St. Claire and frankly she didn't need to give the woman more control over life. Sagara raised his hand in the air and looked to Aayla's left. She looked over where was and saw him signal a woman who came over their way.

"General St Claire wants you to report to the Command Centre immediately upon arrival. I've arranged for someone to look after your son" Sagara told her.

"Yes, sir. Thank you Sir" Aayla said, appreciating the effort as she expected him to treat her as coldly as St Claire did. The woman he flagged to them smiled as she approached them when she was closer, she had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail as she wore green camo BDU pants with a black scoop neck top with a white jacket over the top.

* * *

Alicia approached them and nearly stopped in her tracks as she could have sworn she was looking at the younger version of a dead woman. The woman in front of her in dress uniform holding a little boy her chest was a dead ringer for Ayani Taylor. Alicia moved to stand next to Sagara and noticed on closer inspection the woman did have some features that were different, her nose was a little longer her eyes more doe like than Ayani who had had almond shaped eyes. But still the Lieutenant had the same hair colour, eye colour and skin tone. She idly wondered how Taylor would react on seeing the Lieutenant and if she were a family relation of Ayani's side.

"Dr Alicia Washington, this is Lieutenant Aayla Cross and her son" Sagara said, his tone when he said 'son' dripped with disgust as if the child was a piece of trash stuck to his shoe. Alicia knew partly that Sagara was keeping 'face' as he held himself in a professional manner but it didn't know why he would detest a child. It didn't impress her when Lieutenant Cross downcast her eyes for a moment in a sign of docility and shame as she held her son either. But it was an act as Alicia saw the woman's grip on the sleeping boy shift pulling him closer.

"Dr Washington will do check on your vitals and then take responsibility of your son as General St Claire wants you to report for duty ASAP" Sagara said he motioned for one of the soldiers standing near a rover. "You can drop your pack, the Corporal will take it from here. The kid travels with the group" he told Aayla coldly.

"Yes Sir" Aayla said as shrugged out of the heavy pack careful not to disturb her son with the help of the soldier who hefted the pack. It was a relief to have the weight off her back and her body was grateful to be released of it.

"If you'll follow me to the tent" Alicia said guiding Aayla to the medical tents where the other women and children were starting to line up for their quick scans and check up. They moved to one of the four padded collapsible tables set up in the space.

"I have to ask, you look really familiar to me have we meet before?" Alicia asked her, she knew they hadn't met but she figured she let the conversation drift to what she wanted then come out and ask.

"No, we have not" Aayla said, not giving Alicia anything to work with, so she let it drop for the moment as they lapsed into silence. She hadn't missed the fact that Aayla hadn't placed her sleeping son on the padded table.

"Dr Washington-"

"Please call me Alicia or Wash. I am going to be looking after your boy for a day and half" Alicia said.

"Day and half?" Aayla asked.

"The convoy won't reach the colony until tomorrow morning" Alicia informed her. Aayla noted how Alicia looked at her as if she should know that she would be separated from her son, so she played along even though she hated it.

"Right, of course. If we are to dispense with formality call me Aayla" Aayla said trying to control her emotions as she thought she would onyl be separated from her son for a few hours not a day and half. Alicia gave a sympathetic smile.

"You can trust me, I'll look after this little fella as if he were my own nephew. No harm will come to him" Alicia promised and assured her. Aayla looked as though she were considering her options which confused Alicia as she wondered what there was to consider before she stepped forward and laid her son carefully on the table.

She wondered if she should risk punishment and take her son with her but had a feeling she was going to driven at break neck speed to wherever the colony was just to do the job St Claire tasked her. She could tell Sagara wasn't impressed as he was tasked to escort her and decided it was probably best to leave her son in the care of a complete stranger. She just hoped the woman kept her promise.

"So, let's get started. I'm going to do a quick scan on you first and then depending on the results. I'll see whether you are fit for duty" Alicia said. Aayla stiffened and stepped back from Alicia her demeanour distant and somewhat cold.

"Not necessary I was cleared before I came here. I am fit, please just look after my son" she told Alicia in a polite tone as she pulled her trenchcoat as if to cover up the reason for her slight retreat from Alicia. She didn't need to give St Claire excuses to send her back to 2157 or penalise anymore than she already was.

"I have to take the scans for our records." Alicia told her.

"And you do not understand that I have to report for duty and even if you revoked me from duty St Claire will override it. So please just take care of my son. I'll submit myself to the infirmary when I'm off duty" Aayla said, Alicia held her hands up in surrender and gave a nod she knew better than to argue with a Soldier.

"Ok, I'll look after your son. How old is he?" Alicia asked as she tapped her hand held plex to start a temporary medical file until they received the originals from 2157.

"Roughly 14 months" Aayla said as she gave Alicia all the details she needed for her son's medical record as she placed her jacket over her son like a blanket as she didn't want him to get cold. All the while her head spun and a low thrumming noise pounded in her ear. She knew it was just the start of a bad day as she didn't have any energy and she felt like passing out.

"He's in good health, a little underweight but nothing a few solid meals won't fix" Alicia remarked in casual manner, she looked to Aayla and saw the woman had paled considerably and looked like she was ready to pass out.

"Lieutenant?" Alicia prompted in concern. Aayla held out a hand as to stop her.

"I'm fine, I'm -" Aayla stopped what she was saying as Sagara walked over to them. She snapped to attention upholding military protocol to the extreme in Alicia's mind but then Taylor had relaxed some of the standards in his tenure in Terra Nova.

"At Ease" He told her, Aayla relaxed her stance. Sagara looked to Alicia "Are you finished here? I need to get Lt. Cross back to the Colony ASAP" he said to her.

"I just need to run a quick scan be only a second" Alicia said to Sagara who was being uncharacteristically impatient.

"Ok, go ahead" Sagara said folding his arms and standing there. Alicia gave a tight smile.

"Major, some privacy is required" Alicia said to him, he gave a tilt of his head and turned to Aayla "Lieutenant, you have 2 minutes and no more" Sagara told her.

"Yes, sir" Aayla said, Sagara walked away and Aayla moved to the end of the bed and place her hands on it for support as she took slow and deep breathes hoping her symptoms would pass. Alicia pulled out a bottle of purple water and handed to Aayla.

"Here, I know you're too stubborn to sit but drink this. It's filled with vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. It should help you but I really need you to report to the infirmary when you're back. Now is there anything I need to know about your son?" Alicia asked as Aayla leaned over and breathed slowly.

"His name is Ethan and he'll cry when he wakes because he's in a foreign place-"

"And you won't be there" Alicia said, Aayla nodded.

"Don't take it personally" Aayla said as she opened the bottle and took small sips feeling slightly better.

"I won't" Alicia said with a smile as she scanned Aayla and looked at the data on the screen everything she assumed on seeing Aayla were being confirmed. She was malnourished among other health issues she could understand why Aayla didn't want to be scanned.

"If he doesn't stop crying, call me. Maybe hearing my voice will help" Aayla said to her as she exhaled a shaky sigh as she capped the bottle of her drink.

"Ok I will and just so you know when I arrive back in the colony I'll have you notified" Alicia told her as as she saved the results into file for later.

"Ok" Aayla said with a nod as moved around to the side of the table and looked down at her son. She leaned in close and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. She then rocked back and stood up, her head swooned a little but she shrugged off the hand Alicia offered. "I'm fine" she assured the woman.

"We'll be doing a proper work up when I'm back at Terra Nova. Here take another bottle and keep drinking it slowly" Alicia told her as she handed Aayla another bottle of the electrolytes water.

"I didn't ask for special treatment" Aayla told her.

"I'm giving you the same treatment I give anyone" Alicia told assured her, Aayla nodded and took the bottle leaving the tent and heading towards rover where Sagara stood.

* * *

Amelia woke up to someone knocking on the door loudly. She grumbled as she rolled out of her bed and walked to the door not caring that her hair was askew or that she was wearing her yoga pants and loose off the shoulder sweater. It was way too early, she opened the door and winced as the air was cold and crisp.

"Amelia, I'm sorry to wake you up so early" Reilly said with a smile.

"What's the time?" Amelia asked with a yawn as it was definitely too early to be awake and too cold for her as she wrapped her hands around her body..

"5am" Reilly said in a chipper manner as she was wearing green BDUs and shiny boots. Her hair was pulled back away from her face telling Amelia that the woman was on duty.

"Oh, no wonder I despise it being so bright. What's going on?" Amelia asked as she closed her eyes and leaned against the door. Ever since arriving in Terra Nova getting up early was a challenge to say the least but she told herself that getting up 7am wasn't really sleeping in.

"I've been ordered to go into your place and clear it out" Reilly said, that woke Amelia up as she had works drying and painting that were going to be showcased in a couple of weeks that she didn't need being destroyed by a soldier not being careful.

"What? why?!" Amelia asked her.

"It's been reallocated to a Soldier coming to the Colony. Apparently has a kid so she gets top priority for housing. I figured you'd want to be involved considering we have to move your art" Reilly said. Amelia nodded.

"Ah yeah, just give me a minute to get changed" Amelia said.

"And put on a bra? And brush your hair, there are men out your house and they get so easily distracted" Reilly told her, Amelia gave a roll of her eyes as she was pretty sure no guy was looking at her chest and she didn't even have that much to look at.

"Right" Amelia said, she ran into her room and quickly changed pulling on fresh clothing and boots before she haphazardly brushed her hair back into a messy bun before she left the house. She fell into step with Reilly as they walked to her studio.

"So, I heard Lucas is all over you like a rash" Reilly said.

"What?" Amelia asked as a bluch tinged her cheeks. She wouldn't mind him being all over but there wouldn't ever be an audience and she was definitely not tell Reilly that.

"In the Markets he got all nice and close, tell me he said something dirty" Reilly said with a laugh.

"He didn't" Amelia said grateful she didn't have to tell Reilly what he said to her. It was a little embarrassing being told that she was going to be courted. He made it seem like she didn't have a choice in the matter. Not that she didn't mind but it would have been nice if he asked her considering she had never been asked if she wanted to be courted or even on a date.

"How disappointing even the bad boys are boring" Reilly said in a disapointed tone with a shrug.

"No offence but aren't you into women?" Amelia asked as she couldn't see why Reilly would care about the men in the colony in relation to relationships of an intimate manner.

"Yeah but I have hetero friends it would be nice to see if the male gender lived up to some of their stereotypes" Reilly said with a teasing smile. Amelia smiled in appreciation of her comment.

"Is Dunham there?" Amelia asked.

"Why do you ask?" Reilly asked in a teasing manner enthusing that there was more to Amelia's question than there was.

"I'm curious" Amelia said blandly.

"No, he's in the Badlands" Reilly said.

"Ok" Amelia said inwardly relieved as much as she liked Dunham it was as a friend and the more he showed he was interested her as more the more she just wanted to be friends as he made her nervous of the fact that she would hurt him. Something she didn't want to do.

"You look relieved. Why? Promise not to share" Reilly said as she made the motions of crossing her heart.

"He's a little stalkerish" Amelia admitted awkwardly, Reilly looked genuinely surprised.

"Wow coming from the girl being chased by Lucas Taylor that's saying something" Reilly said, Amelia made a face as she didn't like everyone made Lucas to the devil of all sins.

"He's always popping up and it's ok but I wish if he was going to ask me out then to just do it. Like send me a message and say 'hey want to do lunch?' instead of trying to run me over every time I'm in the markets" Amelia explained.

"I hear you. If you want I can tell him" Reilly offered.

"No, I'll figure out what to say" Amelia said.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Major Sagara, Lieutenant Cross, at ease" St. Claire said from the guest chair in Taylor's office. Taylor had made an effort to get in before St Claire and reclaim his desk. He knew it was petulant but it was his office and this was his command. It was nearly 11am when the sole rover rolled to a stop in the main yard, and two sets of boots came up the stairs into the room. Taylor had felt like someone punched him in the gut when Lieutenant Cross walked into the room and stood to attention beside Major Sagara.

St Claire hadn't given him a military jacket on the woman and obviously now he knew why. Lieutenant Aayla Cross was his niece or used to be before Ayani died and he severed ties with her family too guilt ridden to face them. He didn't stop Lucas from spending time with Ayani's family but he couldn't do it. Ayani had had an Identical twin sister Samia who had one little girl Aayla. The last time he'd seen her, she had four years old before he left for Somalia. Now here she was all grown up and looking a slightly different variation of her mother and Ayani.

The same hair colour, same color eyes , skin tone but that's where Aayla's similarity to his deceased wife ended. Aayla was taller, about 5'8 where Ayani had been about 5'6, Ayani had been curvy and soft while Aayla looked more like a skeleton with a thin coating of skin and flesh. He was amazed she was still in uniform, as he couldn't see enough muscle mass on her frame to pass re-qualifications but obviously her skills and knowledge outweighed her abilities to do chin ups and running times. If she were under his command he would have benched her until she got her act together and if she didn't then discharged her from service. Obviously St Claire ran things differently.

The convoy with the families were at least another 12 hours out and wouldn't be back in the colony until tomorrow mid morning. But then they were doing their trip in legs and taking breaks and driving at a slower pace. St Claire waved for Sagara to move to the side of the room at which he did, St Claire rose from her seat and walked up to Aayla. He tried to guess her age and ball parked her near Lucas's age as he had to add 7 years into the equation. She wore a dress uniform in a similar style as St Claire did when she arrived, and she too also had her own fruit bowl of medals but not as many as St Claire but given her rank and skill set it wasn't surprising.

"How was your journey? Not too arduous I hope" St Claire said to her as she walked around the woman.

"No, it was swift Ma'am" Aayla lied. Taylor knew that was a lie. The journey would have been hours of hell and bumpy roads with only a couple of 5 minute pit stops before driving on. One could see she was exhauted as she had dark circles under eyes and a light sheen of sweat on her face. She looked like she needed a trip to the infirmary. Not to be on duty but then Taylor knew if he ordered her to take the day off St Claire would countermand it. St Claire had a purpose for the woman and thus would not agree to any delays.

"Good, I am eager for you to start interrogating the prisoners as soon as possible." St Claire said as she moved to the desk and picked up a hand held plex and handed it to Aayla. "Preferably today. I have uploaded everything we currently have on them and I will leave it up to you who you wish to speak with first" St Claire said as she retook her seat.

"Ma'am permission to speak freely" Aayla asked in a formal tone as she held herself in a relaxed miltary stance with the plex behind her back.

"Denied. Now I've also arranged for your housing and a place for you to conduct your work. Your housing will be shown to you after you finish shift. Understood?" St Claire asked in a curt but dismissive tone.

"Yes, Ma'am" Aayla said with a nod.

"Good and one other thing. Sergeant Guzman will be at your disposal for the duration of the interrogations. You're dismissed" St Claire told her. Aayla stood to attention and saluted before turning on her feet and leaving the room with Guzman following in her footsteps.

* * *

"I assume there is a map for the colony, because I would rather skip orientation and get to work" Aayla asked as she gripped the railing while they walked down the steps. In her other hand she was half reading the list of Sixers she had to interview, the truth was she wanted vomit and pass out but sadly it wasn't an option.

"Yes, Ma'am" Guzman said as he had slow up his pace to match the Lieutenant's as she was moving slowly down the stairs, he hadn't missed her hands shaking as she clutched the hand held plex or how she gripped the the railing. He didn't think any less of her for not being 100% fit, she had just come from the future and punishing ride to the Colony in a Rover from the Badlands.

"I want to start with the lowest ranking Sixers and work my way up to the leaders. I assume Commander Taylor wants you in the room with me as an observer?" she asked him as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She turned to look at him straight in the eyes, he felt slightly unnerved as she was watching him rather closely. It was as if she were drinking in his features, something he wasn't used to or sure he like it.

"Yes, Ma'am" He answered, her eyes skated over his face for a moment as if judging him before she gave a nod.

"Ok then here's the rules. When we're in the room, you will stand in front of me at all times, remain silent and give the thousand yard stare. Basically be a statue. Do not interact in the interview or with the prisoner. Also anything I say in there is the truth, even if it's a bold face lie. So if you break the rules I'll boot you out the room. Is that understood?" Aayla asked him.

"Yes, Ma'am" He said.

"Is 'Yes, Ma'am' all you say Sergeant?" Aayla asked him as she pulled out the hand held plex, turning it on so she could look at the list of people they had to get through.

"No,Ma'am" he answered. He saw her lips quirk into a faint smile for a second.

"Please address me by my rank. Now show me where we will be conducting the interviews" She told him.

"This way Lieutenant" Guzman said as he gestured the way to the brig.

* * *

Later that Afternoon, Lucas jumped out the Rover's front passenger seat grateful for the long journey to be over. He stretched his legs and pulled his satchel from the floor before closing the door and walking back to his father's house it was time for his to wash up and seek out Amelia. The only bonus of him being out in the badlands for so long was that Dunham was with him and not flirting with Amelia.

He inwardly frowned at the guy's luck as he had been in the second rover returning the same time as him. Which meant there was a race on who would get to Amelia first. He figured he missed her for a chance at having Lunch and Alicia would skin him alive for trying for a dinner date without asking for her permission first. So afternoon tea would have to do. He planned on seeking out Alicia day after tomorrow to ask her permission as her 'three day' waiting period would be over. That and he figured the woman would need a rest after spending so many hours with crying children on the trails back to the colony.

* * *

"Wow, this is not what I was expecting. You spruced up the brig last time I was here. Geez Guzman who knew you cared for me" Carter said as he pushed down into the metal chair by Guzman who then stepped back a few steps. The man remained completely silent as he stood at the nearet stabiliser and looked to the woman at the metal table in her own chair opposite Carter. She placed a hand held plex on the table but didn't look at him.

"Geez who's the cutie? But skinny for my tastes" Carter jibed looking for a reaction but boringly he didn't get one as the woman closed whatever she was looking at on her plex and placed it on the table and looked at him. He felt confronted as she stared at him openly with grass green eyes that showed keen interest but not the sexual variety. No, she looked at him like he was some kind of meat puzzle.

"My name is Lieutenant Cross, this is just preliminary meeting so don't feel compellled to tell me your whole life story" she told him, he smirked.

"Yeah like I'd tell you, I know who you are" Carter said.

"Really do tell" She said as she sat forward in her chair.

"You have been pulling every one of my mates out their cells for a five minute chat and tell them about their 'options' and then tell them to ponder on what they want to do. You're selling false hope" Carter said with a roll of his eyes as he sat back and pulled on the plasticuffs around his wrists.

"No, I'm giving you the facts of the situation and allowing you to take the chance to think about your options" Aayla told him

"You didn't give the Phoenix soldiers that chance. What did happen to them?"

"One, I wasn't tasked to interview them and appraise their value and two, they were sent back to 2157."

"To die"

"We all eventually die, sometimes we get a choice in the method other times it's decided by someone else or just an unfortunate accident."

"Great, you're a philosopher" Carter drawled sarcastically.

"No, I'm just a middle person in these proceeedings"

"Oh ok, paint it how you want but what you tell St Claire ultimately will decide what happens to us"

"Or perhaps it's already decided and this is a waste of time. It really depends on if you're a half glass empty kind of man"

"And you're not as impressive as I was led to believe"

"Right, so is this where I start tell you everything I know and then I get to stay in paradise as a miner or scout or whatever low level menial job you have offered the others"

"It's a good deal"

"Really?" Carter said sceptically.

"Trust me, prison camps in 2157 aren't pretty. They are also outside the dome, no air filtration systems" Aayla told him.

"That's murder" he told her.

"Technically a slow and inhumane execution. If you die" Aayla told him in a casual tone as if they talking about the weather and not about a possible future for Carter.

"I would die from oxygen deprivation, it's a fact and not a pleasant one" he argued.

"Actually there's a 30% survival rate, though you would lose your mind" She told him, he looked at her through narrowed yes and wondered if she was an exceptional liar or telling him the truth. She looked back at him completely at ease, she was giving any indication it was a lie. He was starting to see what the others were talking about when they told him that she was a smooth operator. He could see how they were convinced to take her words to heart. He didn't know why but it made him angry.

"Isn't that against the Geneva Conventions or something?" he asked her.

"Like St Claire cares about some old laws made by men over a century ago. You and your buddies are just extra mouths to feed and if you're not going to be useful you may as well be punished for your crimes. You and your pals committed many crimes but the one that sticks out is Treason. Punishable by death. It's only natural that the prison camp would be best for you. It also saves on ammunitions" She told him, he gave a chuckle at how budget came into question in regards to penal colony.

"I guess I'm between a rock and a hard place" he said, he watched as she reached out and touched her plex as she activated the screen.

"More so than others, you have not only yourself to be concerned with but former Lieutenant Alicia Washington" Aayla said to him.

"She means nothing to me" Carter said blandly but inside fuming as he knew what she was going to do.

"Really? you two have quite the history for her to mean 'nothing'-" Aayla stopped as Carter snapped into action and grabbed her hand. He had planned to pull her across the table and punch her before Guzman could restrain her but she managed to out manoeuvre him. In a flash she slipped his grip and slammed his wrist hard onto the table as she reached out and pulled his head down slamming it on the table before letting go and stepped back from him. Carter sagged to his knees for a moment groaning as he tenderly touched his nose.

He drew his fingers back and saw blood and was pretty sure it was broken but he wouldn't give the slip of a woman the satisfaction of knowing so. He got to his feet and sat back in the chair and chuckled.

"That's quite a left hook for a twig. I underestimated you" he told Aayla who was looking down at him with cold eyes.

"You should also control yourself. I was not making threats here I'm stating facts that you should be aware of" She told him.

"Really? and what's that?" Carter asked her in a dark tone.

* * *

Amelia frowned at the clutter of paintings in her bedroom. She couldn't paint as there was just no room between the stills and stored booze, furniture and large plex screen as well as all her finished paintings she had carefully moved and wrapped with spare sheets to protect them. She hadn't realised how many paintings she had made until they were all in one room.

She didn't want to work outdoors in case the neighbours popped their heads in and painting anywhere else in the Colony was out of the question. She didn't like to show off, her art was personal. It had only been half a day but she already missed her space in the other house and waking up early hadn't helped her disposition.

A knock sounded at the door and Amelia left her cluttered room to the front door opening it. Lucas stood at the edge of the verandah with a quirk of the lips. He was clean shaven and wore a navy blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and brown pants looking handsome as ever.

"Hey" he said.

"Hi" Amelia replied in kind, she felt a little unkempt as she was standing at the door in a pair of paint covered cargos and the same grey top she had put on that morning. Her hair was up in a messy bun at the top of her head. She kind of wished she had known he was coming so she could have dressed up a little, maybe brushed her teeth considering the heavily garlic oriented meal Boylan hand made and they shared for lunch. She was pretty sure garlic was seeping from her pores he had put so much into the dish.

"I know it is short notice but I was wondering if you would do me the honour of having afternoon tea with me" he said.

"Now?" Amelia asked him as she was getting distracted by his presence and his green eyes looking straight at her. He was truly mesmerising.

"Yes, now technically I haven't asked permission to court you but we will be in Boylan's Bar thus we are 'chaperoned' and I will talk with Lieutenant Washington the day after she returns as she will hopefully be in a better mood once she is well rested and away from crying children" Lucas said with a closed lipped smile.

"Crying Children?" Amelia said confused. He waved a dismissive hand at her question.

"Long story, I will explain over afternoon tea when you join me" he told her with a smile. She leaned toward him and looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you here just to beat Dunham to asking me out?" Amelia asked in a low voice.

"Why would you think that?" He asked leaning in close to her, she smelt faintly of paint and some light floral scent he couldn't decipher but it was incredibly enticing. He was tempted to push her into the house close the door and have his way with her. He wanted to feel her soft warm skin under his hands but knew he would have to wait and take things slowly. Something that annoyed him as he always seemed to be waiting for the things he wanted.

"Because he's about 10 feet away and probably has the same idea as you" Amelia said as she straightened her back and stood in the door way in the house as if staying inside would keep her safe. Lucas looked over his shoulder to see Dunham, he waved at the man and felt incredibly smug at the fact he was first in line and would get the girl. He took his victories where he could get them.

"Well you could invite him but I do believe he'd be very bored and not appreciate being a third wheel." Lucas said in low voice to her before Dunham moved to stand beside him.

"Lucas Taylor" Dunham said as he stood on the porch next to him, he looked like he had showered and shaved for the occasion himself. Lucas knew Dunham wasn't real competition but couldn't help but feel a stab of possessiveness in regards to Amelia as he didn't want anyone to try and have her.

"Private Dunham" Lucas replied the two locked eyes for a moment as if it were a silent acknowledgement that the competition was on. Dunham broke eye contact first and looked to Amelia.

"Hey Amelia" he said with an open smile.

"Hey, what brought you all the way over here?" Amelia asked feeling a little flustered

"I heard you got evicted from your studio" Dunham said to Amelia, Lucas watched as Amelia's face fell a bit at being reminded of the fact. She ran a hand through her hair and folded her arms across her chest.

"Ah yeah, it's annoying but you know that's how it works. I'm sure the family who it's allocated to will appreciate the space more than me" Amelia said in a self deprecating manner.

"Where have you put all of your work?" Lucas asked her. Amelia jutted her thumb behind her as a gesture of 'in there'.

"Here, it's a little cluttered-" she started but Lucas cut her off.

"If you want you can store some of your work in my office. You know how little I use the space" Lucas offered, a light blush graced Amelia's cheeks and she gave a closed lip smile. He knew Dunham had no way of offering storage space as he probably lived in the barracks.

"Thanks I'll think about it" Amelia said politely.

"Well then shall we go have afternoon tea?" Lucas said holding out his arm to her blatantly ignoring Dunham's presence.

"I should get changed first" She said.

"Not necessary, you already look beautiful" he told her and the way he said it and look he gave her, it made her feel like the world fall away for a moment where it was just them. She blinked and had to remind herself that Dunham was there.

"Well, I want to brush my hair. So give me 5 seconds" She told him.

"You can have 30" Lucas told her. Amelia took her leave and closed the door behind her knowing her absence would give her time to think of what to say to Dunham.

As soon as the door closed, Lucas looked to Dunham. "So, what are your intentions with Amelia?" Dunham asked Lucas. He couldn't help but be amused how Dunham was about as intimidating as a baby.

"How are my intentions towards Amelia any of business of yours?" Lucas asked.

"Well, it's my business because I have intentions and I'd figured I should warn you that you aren't going to win" Dunham told him in a cocky manner.

"Really? How do you believe I will fail?" Lucas asked him.

"After everything you did to Lieutenant Washington when she was a P.O.W. you think she'll approve of you courting Amelia?" Dunham scoffed.

"I guess we'll see but until then why don't you go and leave me to escort Amelia to afternoon tea" Lucas said.

"You must be delusional if you also think I'd leave her alone with a known criminal" Dunham told him, a slow spread across Lucas's lips as he stepped forward using his height to intimated the man along with a stare knowing that one of them would have to look away and admit they were the beta dog in the situation.

"Amelia is fully aware of my sins and past discretions. In fact we won't be alone as we are going to the main square with many witnesses to act as pseudo-chaperones" Lucas told him in an idle tone as if he were bored of the conversation.

"Well one more won't be too much of a bother" Dunham countered stubbornly.

"Dunham, perhaps instead of making yourself a nuisance we agree to play fairly and let the lady decide whom she wants to be with. Though for today this lunch is mine, I was here first" he told him.

"Fine, let the best man win" Dunham said as he held out his hand. Lucas took it and gave him a firm handshake. He could see Dunham was foolishly confident that he would win. They released the handshake just as Amelia opened the door.

* * *

Guzman placed a glass of pale green liquid on the metal table infront of Aayla. He had watched as fatigue etched deeper and deeper into the woman. He had to admit she was stubborn and determined to not appear weak but the fact she was pushing herself in her current physical condition was borderline dangerous. Hence he made a pitstop by the infirmary for the drink in the hopes it would fortify her a little. She looked up from her plex to the glass of Metabolic Enzymes.

"What's this?" She asked him after hours of being in the same room as her, he had soon gotten over how much she looked like a younger version of Commander Taylor's deceased wife and saw her as Lieutenant Cross. She was young but with an old soul, incredibly intelligent and a quick mind, he was amazed at how good she was at cold reading the Sixers. He had expected to watch gruesome hours of maiming and torture but so fair all she did was talk. It was interesting to watch her work, and wondered what her next steps of action would be to get information out of the Sixers but first he had to make sure she didn't collapse. He had a feeling that St Claire wouldn't be impressed with either of them if Aayla ended up in the infirmary.

"Metabolic enzymes, it's to help prepare your gut for real food" he told her, she picked up the glass and took a few sips before placing on the table. She showed no reactions of disgust which was shocking considering it tasted disgusting. He had never watched anyone drink it and not shudder in disgust. It made him wonder about what they were eating 2157 but by looking at the woman he doubted she ate much at all.

"Thank you Sergeant. Please take a ten minute break for yourself" She told him before taking another sip, the drink was delicious even if it was on the sweet side. They had been pretty intense with their work and now Aayla needed to be alone for ten minutes before they continued. Ten minutes where she wcould undo the top button of her shirt and relax.

"Lieutenant?" Guzman asked.

"You haven't had a break yet. Go eat something or get some sunshine and be back here in ten minutes" She told him. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it as the door opened and Commander Taylor come into the room. Aayla stood to attention quickly and slightly swayed on her feet from the head rush, stars streaked across her vision.

"Please sit down Lieutenant" Taylor told her, she did as he asked and he looked to Guzman. "Give us the room" he told him, Guzman nodded and left the room. He purposefully turned off the cameras in the brig and locked the controls in case St Claire got nosy. He wanted to talk with Aayla alone.

He sat down in the empty chair opposite her at the table. "I've turned off the cameras in the room" he told her as she slowly sipped the glass of metabolic enzymes. "I wanted to have a private conversation with you off the record" he told her.

* * *

_TBC-Thank you for all the reviews and Cya all soon!_


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Commander Taylor, are you going to tell me what an inconvenience I am or how my appearance and presence disturbs you?" Aayla asked as she knew she was a striking resemblance of her mother who was an identical twin sister to his deceased wife.

She preferred to throw people off their game to see how they would react and considering she was technically under St. Claire's command she was willing to risk insubordination this one time. Everyone had an agenda and Aayla wanted as little to do with her world. The less she interacted the less likely she was pulled into the politics of their world.

"Do you believe everyone is a threat to you and can't be trusted?" He asked sitting back in the chair and looking relaxed.

"Only those in power, Sir" She told him.

"Honesty" he said with a slightly impressed tone. He had expected her to give him a safe answer that complimented him but instead she gave an honest answer and current disposition told him she was uncomfortable and incredibly unwell. In fact she looked ready to paint the floor with the metabolic enzymes.

"Why pussyfoot about, we were family once upon a time. Though I was five when my aunt, your wife died. I barely remember you and from what I heard after the funeral you never called or wrote." She paused briefly and looked away, Taylor was about to explain himself but she cut him off. "People grieve in their own way who am I to judge" she said, there was something about her tone that struck a chord with him. He knew was due to her losing her husband even though he didn't know the details it was above his clearance. Something that perturbed him as most of her record was above his clearance but still he knew what it was like to lose a spouse and have a young child to care for.

She took a sip of the metabolic enzymes before placing it on the table. A sense of sadness and emptiness haunted her for a moment as thoughts of her late husband crept into her thoughts and how much she missed him. She blinked a couple of times and bottled the thoughts away for another time when she was alone. Though it didn't stop the burning ache in her throat or the nausea from the headrush of emotion. She wondered if there would ever come a time she would move on and learn to cherish her memories of Xavier than feel a cold emptiness.

"I never stopped Lucas from seeing your side of the family, it was more complicated for me." Taylor said as he didn't want to go into detail. He had a feeling she didn't want to do a break down of the emotions and social plays that one went through after losing a spouse. It was not easy ground to tread on.

"Then what do you want from me now?" Aayla asked him as she placed a hand to her mouth. Taylor noted the gesture and mentally couldn't stop the count down as he knew it was a matter of time before the woman would be ill.

"Why do you make it sound like I'm about to ask for a kidney?" he asked back.

"Possibly because everyone has an agenda and I have a son I need to protect" Aayla said with a sigh as she sat back in her chair taking a deep breath. The nausea she felt kept roiling and she had drunk felt like it was sitting in her throat.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked her.

"I'm fine" She told him as she broke into a slight sweat and started breathing a little faster in the hopes of stopping herself from vomiting.

"You don't look fine" Taylor remarked.

"Just tell me what you want?" Aayla said as she massaged the notch at the base of her neck where the collar bone met in a slow and comforting motion.

"Friendship" he said, he silently left out the part where he really just wanted to know who she was as a person to see whether she was a threat or not.

"You want to be friends?" she asked sceptically.

"On duty we'll have to adhere to Military Protocol but off the clock I'd like to be here for you and your boy as friend as I feel asking to be acknowledge as family even by marriage would be asking too much. I can also re introduce you to Lucas when you're ready, help you out where I can. It's not easy being a widow with a child" Taylor said.

"I'll think about it, is that all?" Aayla asked as she was suspicious of his motives.

"No, I've been watching the feed. You're laying down some heavy accusations against my former Second in Command. I want to know if there are any grounds for them" he said.

"I say many things in this room to get the information we need. Mr Carter hates himself, I could threaten him, beat him to a pulp and he would just take it all and not give me anything. But his soft spot are the people he loves. In the reports I skimmed he has a past affliation with Dr Washington. He protected her, kept her safe. So in threatening her, he steps forward to protect her and gives us information. So right now he has 24 hours to consider the offer"

"If he doesn't speak up?"

"Well then I'll have to try a different tactic. People with medical expertise are in short supply, it would be stupid of St Claire to take Dr Washington into custody and charge her for crimes she has no proof of" Aayla said, though inwardly she wanted to tell him that St Claire would do it. It wasn't like she hadn't before when her husband had been taken for interrogation, Aayla had been dragged in as well. She had been questioned and threatened with charges that she was innocent of but told they would fabricate evidence to prove she did them. Memories of those days flashed through her mind and in that brief moment her stomach rolled violently.

Taylor watched as Aayla's green eyes darkened and her face turned grey, the next thing he knew she jumped up and rushed the commode at the far wall and emptied the contents of her stomach. He winced at the noise and got to his feet and moved to side immediately. He knelt down beside her, she held out a hand as if to say 'stop' so he held his position beside her as she continued to retch and shudder.

After a couple of minutes the retching subsided, Aayla slumped to her knees. She felt horrid as her body shivered and felt sticky and hot, so much for keeping her professional appearance. Taylor had flushed the commode and was still crouched down beside her.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure I could go another round" she said as she lowered her head trying to calm her roiling stomach. She felt a hand on her forehead and was slightly annoyed at him taking such liberties.

"Come on, I'll take you to the Infirmary" he told her.

"I'm not finished with my interviews today and I'm fine" She told him as she pulled away from his touch and put some pace between them.

"I don't care, you're running a temp and you can't stomach half a glass of metabolic enzymes-"

"I'm under St Claire's command. You can't order me" Aayla told him as she pushed her to her feet, her head swoon and legs were like jelly. She swayed and pitched only for Taylor to grab her by the elbow and steady her.

"I know, but it's either I wait for you to pass out and carry you or we walk there. Your choice" Taylor told her.

"I-" Aayla didn't finish the sentence as she passed out. Taylor's quick reflexes caught her before she even sagged to the floor.

"Passing out" he finished for her as he pulled out his comm. and called Guzman back into the room so he could hold the door.

* * *

"Don't mock Dunham, he's nice" Amelia told Lucas, they were sitting outside in the main square indulging in blueberry muffins and fruit smoothies. Something about Lucas drinking a fruit smoothie and muffin made her want to burst out laughing as it didn't seem like his 'thing'. She could picture him with a cup of coffee and a cigarette (not that he smoked) but it suited his darker side compared to him sipping a smoothie drink through a straw or possibly taking half a century to eat a muffin. She figured he probably didn't like it.

"Yes, 'nice' a word all men want to be describe with. How would describe me?" Lucas asked as he picked off another piece of his muffin. He figured the longer he took to eat the longer they would be together. Afternoon tea had been entertaining and he didn't want it to end.

"Frustrating" Amelia told him with a roll of her eyes.

"If it helps you frustrate me" he told her with a wry smile but he had a feeling how she frustrated him was not the same as what she was doing to him.

"Really? How do I frustrate you? Lucas?" Amelia asked Lucas with a smile as she was curious. Lucas had been smiling at her and about to answer her when something behind her caught his eye. He paled like he had seen a ghost as he continued looked behind her, so she turned to look for herself and saw Commander Taylor holding an unconscious woman in his arms moving to the Infirmary with another soldier.

"Stay here, I'll be back in a moment" Lucas said, he got to his feet and Amelia wondered if she should follow but remained seated watching Lucas go as she knew Lucas hated it when people didn't do what he asked.

Lucas crossed the main square as he could have sworn the woman his father was carrying looked like his mother. It was almost like a bad memory flashback to Somalia as he still remembered clearly seeing his father pick up his mother's dead body and carry her. Though this woman couldn't be his mother, she also wasn't maimed or covered in blood but he had to see who she was. He needed to know he was not going insane.

He followed his father and Guzman into the Infirmary and watched as Taylor laid the woman on the bed. She was definitely not his mother, she looked about his age and incredibly thin. But still, her appearance disturbed her.

* * *

"Commander Taylor" Dr Canzales said in greeting as Taylor laid Aayla's body on the bed.

"Lieutenant Cross and I were talking she became ill from the metabolic enzymes and passed out. She's also running a temperature and is unresponsive" Taylor said to Dr Canzales.

"Right let's see what's going on" Dr Canzales said, he pulled a pen light from his coat pocket and moved to check the woman's vitals, Commander Taylor stepped back and moved to the side with Guzman watching as Nurse Ogawa stepped up to assist as Dr Canzales gave her instructions. Taylor turned to say something to Guzman but stopped as he saw Lucas staring at the bed like he was seeing a ghost.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Taylor asked him as he moved towards him. Lucas snapped out his stupor and looked at his fathed.

"I don't know" Lucas said looking back at Lieutenant Cross on the bed, Nurse Ogawa and Dr Canzales side conferred in whispers about the Lieutenant. Lucas wondered what they were talking about as Dr Covington had joined the party and Nurse Ogawa didn't look happy.

"She's your cousin, Aayla. Do you remember her?" Taylor asked Lucas, as he too knew what the man was feeling as Aayla at first glance was like a carbon copy of Ayani. Though the short time Taylor spent in Aayla's presence he knew the differences, he also had a better memory of Ayani than Lucas did.

"Aayla, the last time I saw her she was 8. I didn't keep contact with her. Only Gran" Lucas said, and even then he hadn't paid much attention to her. He caught up with his grandmother on a regular basis before coming through the portal but extended family stayed away from him since he couldn't handle looking at his Aunt Samia. She looked like his mother and it had hurt to look at her and know she wasn't his mother.

"Well she's grown up and a Lieutenant. She is also a widow with a son" Taylor informed Lucas, He felt it was best to give Lucas the facts so he wouldn't be insensitive to Aayla. The only reason he knew Aayla had a son it was in her record as a red mark against her and her wages garnished. He didn't understand why and when he asked Sagara he informed Taylor that all parents were penalised for reproducing as they didn't have enough resources to sustain the population they had.

Her record was patchy at best, only because majority of her work was above his clearance. It was incredibly rare to find an individual whose work was outside of his clearance but Aayla was one of them. It's why it was hard to read her allegiances. The death of her husband was classified above his clearance. It left more question marks in his head than answers something he didn't like but would get the answers to eventually.

"She looks-"

"I know, but there are differences" Taylor told him.

"What's wrong with her?" Lucas asked him, he didn't know why but he felt the need to know Aayla was going to be ok. Part him knew that he couldn't handle watching a facsimile of his mother die again. Even if it wasn't his Mother.

"Dehydration, Dr Covington and I concur we will administered an IV drip and have her up and running in an hour" Dr Canzales answered as he joined them. In the background Dr Covington was readying an IV line while Nurse Ogawa pulled

"You don't believe she should rest?" Taylor asked as he remembered why he preferred Dr Shannon's bedside manner. Canzales had a way of dehumanising his patients.

"St Claire was adamant to Dr Covgington and myself that if Lt Cross fell ill that I do my best to fix her up and roll her back out. She needs the interviews with the sixers continue until the end of her shift. I'm only doing what I've been ordered to do. I told Sergeant Guzman to come back in an hour" Canzales said as he looked down at his plex finishing up his charts he looked up at them and focussed on Lucas.

"Are you alright Mr Taylor?" he asked.

"I'm well" Lucas told Canzales.

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked in an annoyed tone, Lucas would have taken offence but knew Canzales hated having people visit the infirmary who weren't ill and the man was looking him and his father like they were taking up unnecessary space and time.

"I was lost and asking my father for directions" Lucas said in an icy tone to the man, he couldn't help but be annoyed in return as he never liked Canzales diatribes about life or how he treated other people.

"Well since you are both in good health there is no reason for you to be here. Please remove yourselves" Dr Canzales told them.

"Keep me posted on Lt Cross's condition" Taylor said. Dr Canzales looked bored as he gave a nod.

"As you wish" he said.

"Walk with me Lucas" Taylor told him.

"Why should I?" Lucas asked.

"Because I need to talk with you" Taylor told him.

* * *

"you ok?" Amelia asked Lucas when he returned 15 minutes later, she had watched from her position him walk with his father. They two seemed to be in a morose conversation as neither of them looked happy but they parted ways and Taylor walked to join the soldier he was with previously and start talking to him in a low voice. Lucas walked straight towards her and retook his seat. He demeanour somewhat sullen.

"Fine, sorry for leaving you. It was rude of me" he told her.

"Do you know the woman who was carried into the infirmary?" Amelis asked.

"She's my cousin. I haven't seen her in over 7 years." Lucas remarked, he didn't look at her and picked up his muffin and took a bite.

"Is she ok?" Amelia asked

"Dehydration, she'll be fine" he told her.

"That must be a relief." Amelia said with a smile, she would have thought Lucas would be happier to have more family in Terra Nova whish made her feel ike she was missing some important facts.

"Mmm it is" Lucas said.

"You're frowning" Amelia told him, inwardly her curiosity was growing as Lucas was clamming up and not just saying whatever he was thinking.

"I'm fine, let's talk about something else. I do believe I was mocking Dunham" Lucas said with a slow smile.

"Oh don't start. Let's just have a conversation about something other than Dunham" Amelia told her as she realised that Lucas didn't want to talk about it at all and she wasn't ready to prod him for information yet.

"Alright, would you like to store some of your paintings at my house? My father and I wouldn't mind." Lucas told her sincerely.

"I'm seriously considering it" Amelia said with a sigh.

"Well that or we can convert my office into a studio for you" Lucas said.

"Oh I'm sure Alicia and Commander Taylor would love that!" Amelia said with a laugh as she could just see Alicia's reaction to Amelia giving her that kind of news. In fact she would not go for it and if she did it would probably be under the proviso that they were chaperoned and Amelia preferred to paint alone.

"They do have a way of making it seem like we are teenagers and not adults" Lucas said.

"Speak for yourself, I'm still new to all this 'being an adult' stuff" Amelia told him.

"I don't believe that for a second, you're more mature than any 18 year old I know"

"Does my age bother you?" Amelia asked in a teasing manner before taking a sip of drink. Lucas wondered if she knew how sexy and cute she looked when she teased him in such a fashion.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked her. He decided it was best to keep things light and easy as he didn't want to think about what his father had told him. He also didn't want to talk about it with Amelia.

"Well how old are you?" Amelia asked.

"How is it relevant?" he asked her, he didn't find their age difference bother him at all. Amelia was young but she was mentally and emotionally more mature than most women he had encountered for her age. For him it was all that matter in that department anyway, he was interested in her for more than just her good looks, he liked that she was relatively close to his intelligence range.

"Maybe you're trying to age me so you don't feel like a cradle robber" Amelia said, Lucas quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I'm 26" he informed her to see how far she was going to take it.

"Ok I'm doing the math" Amelia said mockingly she preteneded as if it were a truly difficult task when he knew better.

"8 years your senior" He told her.

"So when do you turn 27?" Amelia asked him.

"Next year. You know you've got cheek" he told her.

"What you going to do about it?" she asked him with a smile.

"Hmm I could think of a few things" he said leaning in close to her, he smiled as he watched a blush creep into her cheeks.

* * *

An hour or so later, Aayla roused awake from slumber feeling like someone had steamed rolled over her with a tank. Her body ached, her eyes gritty and her throat dry and scratchy. She reluctantly opened her eyes as she heard her name being called by Dr Covington.

"Lieutenant Cross?" he said, his face hovering in her sight along with a bright light, she lifted her hands and trying to swat him away as she knew he was just an organ snatcher and she had no plans on being on his list. She made a mental note to check for scars later.

He snapped off the pen light and the back of the bed rose so Aayla was sitting up. She looked around at the surrounding in a daze, it was easy to tell she was in the infirmary. It wasn't hard to tell from all the medical equipment and staff dressed in scrubs and white coats. She looked down and noted her dress uniform was gone and replaced with hospital scrubs.

"You passed out from dehydration, you're hooked up to an IV that I'll take you off in a moment and then you'll be good to go" Dr Covington told her.

"Good to go?" Aayla asked confused as she was starting to feel more alert, infact too alert and her brain twigged in telling her it wasn't natural.

"How long was I out?" she asked as she pushed herself up on the bed and looked around the infirmary. The place looked more like a day spa from a magazine than an infirmary with it wooden floors and large windows that let in the natural light.

"An hour and a half" Covington informed her as he pick up the plex from the slot in her bio bed and made a few notes.

"Great, why do I feel like I'm like I have ants crawling under my skin?" She asked Dr Covington in an accusatory tone. He gave a sigh and slid the plex back into the slot he pulled it from and then moved the side so he could come in close. He stood so close to her the smell of his cologne assaulted her senses and made her feel the urge to heave again.

"Just a pick me up to keep you going" he told her in a low voice.

"You drugged me" Aayla said in a careful tone to Covington as she shakily moved off the bed and got to her feet. She preferred to not have the man hovering above her but look him straight in the eyes. He moved in close yet again and smiled rather coldly.

"St. Claire ordered it. You are required to finish your duties can't do that laid up in bed all afternoon" he told her, the fact he was speaking in a low tone and rather intimately told her that St Claire didn't want that tidbit of information getting around. That and Dr Covington always had a thing for any female with a pulse so he was taking advantage of the situation.

"What did you put in my system?" Aayla asked him.

"A high dose of synthesised stimulants to wake you up and keep you going for at least another 24 hours. You're welcome" he told her. Aayla felt her blood boil as the last thing she needed in her system was stimulants. She barely had enough food in her to counterbalance what the stims would do to her system. Let alone the fact that stims made her job harder.

"Oh I'm not grateful" She told him in a dark and angry tone.

"If you didn't intentionally starve yourself to this weakened state I wouldn't have to waste meds on you." Dr Covington told her as he moved in even closer she knew it was a test now as Dr Covington was St Claire's favourite lap dog. But the urge to kill him was growing stronger.

"I don't starve myself" she told him.

"Feeding your child your rations is intentionally starving yourself. So it was intentional and honestly I don't know why you wasted your time-" Dr Covington stopped midsentence as Aayla's control snapped. She grabbed him by the lapels of his lab coat and shoved him up against the wall by the bed.

"I didn't ask for your opinion on my life or what I do with my time and resources." She told him in a dark tone.

"You shouldn't waste your energy Lieutenant, otherwise I'll have to up the dosage of your 'medicine' and if I do you won't be able to sleep for days. So do yourself a favour and let me go" Dr Covington told her in a menacing tone.

Dr Covington who was usually a charming person turned into a cold and menacing man as he and Aayla stared at one another. She looked at him with disgust and pushed him away as she let go of him and stepped back. She turned her back to Covington looking disgusted with herself.

"You'll crash around tomorrow but knowing your weak constitution probably sooner I'd say around midnight. I guess we'll see. Oh and try to finish your work first before you end up in here again." Dr Covington said before he straightened his jacket and left her. Aayla closed her eyes, she took slow and deep breaths trying to calm herself and control the anger she felt.

"Lieutenant?"

Aayla opened her eyes and looked to see Guzman by the bed with Duffel bag. She wondered how long he had been standing there and if he had overheard the conversation between her and Dr Covington to be on the safe side she decide it was best to apologise.

"I apologise that you had to witness that" Aayla told him.

"I didn't see much, I brought you a change of clothes as Doc said you were awake" Guzman said, he didn't want to admit that he heard the whole conversation. It made his innards twist at Covington not only being comfortable with drugging a patient without their knowledge but also blaming Aayla for giving part of her rations to her child. He would have done the same for Tasha if he were still in 2157. The woman looked worse than before something he wouldn't have thought possible. A part of him wanted to take her to Boylan's and stuff her with some good solid food but it was not his place to do so.

"Thank you" Aayla told him, she knew with the stims swimming through her she would have to watch herself and deportment carefully around the man as she knew he would report back to Taylor. The last thing she needed was two superior officers tell her to smarten up.

"I'll wait outside" Guzman told her/

"No, stay. I need you to take notes" She told him as she opened the duffel bag and pulled out the clothing. She turned her back to him and pulled off her shirt without even warning him. He quickly turned to give her some modicum of privacy but he hadn't missed the ugly scars that marred her back.

"Go ahead Lieutenant" he said as he pulled out his hand held plex.

* * *

Taylor frowned as he watched Amelia and Lucas flirting in the main square, he should be glad they were out in the open but frankly he was wondering what Lucas was up to with the young woman. He had mixed feelings about it as he always wanted his son to have a rich and full life but on the otherhand he was concerned for Amelia. The girl needed to have her freedom and grow a little before becoming involved with a man like his son. Lucas had baggage just like Taylor something he felt no one over the age of 30 with a hard history themselves would understand.

"What's the frown for Commander?" St Claire asked as she joined him on the balcony.

"I'm wondering why you would make a woman who is ill to continue with her duties" Taylor said as he deflected his primary reason for his frown to the second reason as Aayla and Guzman were crossing the main square. Aayla had cleaned up, she wore the BDU's he had acquired but even the smallest size they had hung on her frame. Her hair was in a low bun, she was incredibly pale as she walked weakly on her legs swerving a little in her gait. He noted and appreciated that Guzman would take care of her and even right now he could see Guzman was itching to grab Aayla by the arm and direct her.

"Lieutenant Cross has a weak constitution, has so since she decided to breed. I would have booted her out but her knowledge and expertise is incredibly useful and it's cheaper to keep her in the core. So right now I need her to get on top of the sixers to root out who we need and who we don't. Sadly her work takes time so I can't afford to any delays" St Claire said, she watched as Taylor barely covered the outrage he felt at her words. She knew he was all about people being kind and honest to one another, bringing up a more peaceful future with rainbows and butterflies etc. He of course would feel disdain as her remarking about Aayla's constitution being related to her 'breeding' as if she were more like a stock animal than human.

She hadn't expected him to grow an attachment to a woman he had only been related to by marriage. She inwardly smiled as she knew Aayla would be the best person to place in his ranks as a spy and she would be malleable to St Claire's plans as she had a son to take care of. The only use she ever found for the little boys was that if the mother cared deeply enough they would do anything to protect them.

She looked out on the main square and saw Lucas talking with a young woman with honey brown hair, the two looked to be quite intimate and flirty even though they weren't touching.

"I see Lucas is not wasting any time in finding himself female company. Isn't that Amelia Jones?" St Claire asked.

"Why do you ask?" Taylor asked looking to St Claire.

"I read she is from another time, how is she adapting to life here?" St Claire asked noting the protective streak the older man had for the girl. He truly was a sucker for a damsel in distress.

"Well, she survived brutal treatment in the sixer camp but is thriving under Dr Washington's care" Taylor answered carefully as he noted the woman's interest.

"I'd like to meet her, not today but soon" St Claire said to him.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

It was nearly 4am when the main convoy arrived in the colony.

Alicia had never in her life been so glad to come home. After a long day and half's journey with a crying little boy and screaming little girls and neglectful mothers, she was half glad she didn't have a kid of her own. Family care was really down the toilet in 2157 or so she felt as she and Elisabeth did a lot of child wrangling. But now they were back and majority of the children and mothers would be checked out through the infirmary and shuffled onto their new accomodations for rest. Alicia hoped that Aayla was around so she could finally see a smile on the little boy's face.

He of course had woken up confused, scared and as such did what all kids did. He cried, and cried and then he slept and then he woke up and cried and cried again. It was incredibly disheartening for Alicia to endure as she couldn't console the kid at all. He also refused to eat which led to them having to give him an IV drip at one point which made her self esteem at being capable of doing everything lower somewhat. But Elisabeth assured her that she was doing fine, Alicia had tried to hand him off to Elisabeth just to get a rest but the boy was like an octopus and once he latched onto Alicia that was it. He didn't let go and when they did pry him off he cried and wailed an even louder storm than when he was attached her. She couldn't make heads or tails of it but after 9 hours he was finally out of steam and became quiet and resigned.

She got out of the passenger seat of the rhino she had travelled in and started looking around. Medical staff were already ushering the women and children into the infirmary. She had hoped that Aayla would be around but she couldn't see her. She did however see Taylor who was cutting through the crowd to her.

She gave him a surprised smile. "Commander Taylor, I didn't expect you here" Alicia said as she rubbed the baby boy's back in a soothing manner, he was all out of tears and just slumped against her in quiet resignation. Taylor looked at her with an odd look on his face.

"You want me to take the boy?" he offered Alicia smiled.

"Oh no, you make babies cry and he has an amazing set of lungs" Alicia told him with a chuckle.

"I do not make babies cry." he told her slightly offended though he did feel like he had that effect on small children and babies.

"Uhuh, if you want to help you can carry my bag for me and tell me what you're doing here" Alicia told him.

"I'm helping" he said as he reached into the rhino behind her and pulled out her pack.

"Right, hey you wouldn't happen to know where I could find Lieutenant Cross?" Alicia asked.

"Yes, she's in the infirmary. Is that her son?" Taylor asked, he tried to look more closely at the boy he looked no older than 14 months by the size of him. He had the same hair colour as Aayla but thats all he could tell as the boy had his face down tucked into Alicia's neck with his arms around her neck. He looked to be firmly latched on. He had to admit when he first saw Alicia holding the boy he felt an ache in him at how beautiful she looked holding him. How it looked so natural and his thoughts wondered to how she would have looked with her own children. He felt for her that she had missed out on the chance to have a family of her own especially since he knew she had always wanted a family of her own. Sadly life and love hadn't given her the chance.

"Yeah, he is and is she ok?" Alicia asked with concern.

"No, she's in bad shape but Guzman is watching over her" Taylor said as they moved toward the infirmary.

"Oh because he's got a medical degree we both didn't know about?" Alicia asked dryly as she felt it was strange for Taylor have a guard on a woman let alone Guzman as he probably had better things to do than a job a soldier of a lower rank could perform just as easily.

"St Claire partnered them up." Taylor said with a shrug. Alicia felt there was probably more to the story but Taylor wasn't going to tell her out in public about it.

"Doesn't explain why you two are up this early"

"She's my niece" Taylor told her.

"From Ayani's side" Alicia said as she already had the suspicion and now it was confirmed.

"Yes" Taylor admitted.

"How do you feel about that?" Alicia asked him as they walked through the doors of the Infirmary. The place was packed with people and movement. Taylor smiled as he dodged two kids running through his path.

"I didn't know you stitched wounds and shrunk heads" Taylor said to Alicia as he directed her to where Aayla was.

"It's a hobby" Alicia said over the noise but she wasn't going to push her luck with Taylor. When he made snarky comments it was his sign that he wasn't going to talk about it and she accepted it. They waded through the busy room to a biobed by the far wall to where Guzman standing. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, he held no expression on his face. Something Alicia envied as he had the best poker face in the colony.

He spotted them and their eyes locked, he gave a quirk of the lips and nodded his head in greeting to her as she and Taylor sidled up to where he stood. Alicia looked to the Bio bed and saw Aayla sitting up with her legs slung over the edge. She had an IV drip in her arm and her head was in her hands. She did not look like a happy camper.

"Ethan, look who's that?" Alicia said in an excited tone to Ethan in her arms the boy lifted his head from her shoulder alert and looked to where she was pointing to Aayla who was sitting on a bio-bed hooked up to an IV with her head in her hands.

"Ma!" he said breaking into the first smile Alicia had seen him wear since waking up. Sadly it didn't last long as the boy realised he was too far away to appreciate his mother's face. He whimpered and gasped as he reached for his mother.

"Alright, settle down" Alicia told him as she held onto the boy and walked over to Aayla. Ethan continued to wriggle and huff while calling to his mother.

Aayla's head snapped up at hearing Ethan's voice and she turned to see her son crying and reaching for her as he was held by Dr Washington. The woman walked over to her and smiled as she handed Ethan directly into her arms without so much as a hello. But Aayla didn't care as relief flooded through her and smile spread across her lips.

"Awwh I'm here what's these tears for aye?" Aayla asked her son, feeling a sense of relief at having her son back in her arms. Her son grappled her BDU jacket vainly trying to latch onto her. She smiled as she peppered his little face with kisses and then held him close to her chest. "Thank you" she said to Alicia.

"You're welcome. I have to do the rounds but I'll be back in a few ok?" She replied, Aayla nodded and Alicia smiled one last time before giving them privacy. She turned to Taylor and Guzman who had moved to the side, she was about to make a comment but Dr Covington called her away.

* * *

When she returned an hour later, Taylor was gone but Guzman was still standing guard. The infirmary was empty bar a few beds that had children who required further medical attention due to their malnourished state. The noise levels had also gone from deafening to peaceful and quiet bar the soft notes Aayla was humming to her son. Alicia saw the woman was pacing slowly with her child in her arms. She sidled up next to Guzman with a smirk on her face.

"You know it's rude to stare" Alicia said in a low voice to him as a joke.

"I'm watching" Guzman said in an idle tone.

"And that's not any less creepier than staring. What you doing here anyway?" Alicia said in a teasing manner. They were old friends which was why she got away with teasing the hell out him. The fact that Guzman was still standing around for what seemed to be no reason at all made her incredibly curious and she couldn't help herself. Guzman whether he would admit or not was staring at Aayla and Ethan.

"I'm here to get Lieutenant Cross settled into your house" Guzman said and she winced as it was definitely the best way to put her off teasing him.

"My house? Are you serious?" Alicia asked in disbelief.

"Yep, St Claire had it cleared out this morning" Guzman said as they both were watching Aayla and Ethan. There was something rather mesmerising in watching them.

"Typical, I guess it's lucky I haven't properly moved in yet." Alicia said with a half shrug.

"I know, I was kind of looking forward to being your next door neighbour." Guzman said as he threw her a half smile. Guzman's house had also been destroyed in the initial conflict when the Phoenix Army bombed them. He had his place rebuilt and Tasha had even moved back home with him. She didn't blame the girl as there was something about going home and feeling safe again.

"So you could spy on me or so we could share a cold brew together after a long day in the backyard?" Alicia asked him tongue in cheek.

"both, isn't that what neighbours do?" Guzman asked with a curve of his lips as he found it amusing.

"Well it's what I occasionally did with Malcolm when we were neighbours" Alicia said, she missed sharing a pint with the man as he usually had some pretty funny drinking stories from his college days.

"Really? Just a brew?" Guzman asked now teasing her. Alicia chuckled as she couldn't imagine having anything more than a brew with the man. If anything it would be incredibly awkward given they had no sexual interest in one another.

"Yeah, come on it's Malcolm" Alicia told him.

"British accent, relatively good looking-"

"Oh you noticed did you? maybe you should ask him out" Alicia suggested.

"He's not my type" Guzman said with a sigh.

"You say that after you admit he's relatively good looking. It's been a while since you've been with a woman it's not hard to assume you may swing that way. I won't judge" Alicia said with a smile.

"You're a lot more sassier than usual, have you got some guy in the background who's managed to loosen the stick- "Guzman stopped and put on his professional manner as Commander Taylor had walked into the room straight to them "Commander Taylor" he said in greeting.

"Guzman, sitrep" Taylor asked.

"IV is out but by the looks of her; she'll be bent out of shape for a few days." Guzman said, He and Aayla hadn't finished the interviews until late into the night. She gave him an hour off to have dinner with his daughter and when he came back they finished up the reports. He had planned to take her to her house but she passed out again upon exiting the Brig. The stimulants were really doing a number on her, Taylor was tied up with St Claire and thus asked him to keep an eye on the woman. So Guzman did as he was asked.

"Her son looks healthy" Taylor commented as the sun had risen and the light was better to see the boy.

"A little underweight but nothing a few hearty meals won't fix. She'll need double that" Alicia said.

"I'm sure you'll be able to make that happen" Taylor said to her, he wasn't going to push his luck with Aayla and somehow he figured Aayla wouldn't have left Alicia alone with her son unless she had some sense of trust in her.

"I'm sure between Guzman and me we have it covered" Alicia said with a subtle nudge to Guzman.

"Why do I feel like I'm being conscripted?" Guzman asked in an exhausted tone. He was technically off the clock so he was allowed some freedom with his speech.

"Because you are, she's your neighbour" Alicia said.

"Also my superior officer" Guzman countered.

"Well I can take over for you. You're dismissed and thank you Guz" Taylor told him.

"Yes, Sir" Guzman said with a closed smile as he was ready to turn in for a couple of hours before enjoying his day off. He left the two and then Alicia looked to Taylor.

"What are you up to?" Alicia asked him.

"It's not what you think she is Ayani's niece." Taylor said.

"We covered that an hour ago and I figured she was from Ayani's side of the family or a doppelganger. It was a tossup, so what are you up to?" Alicia asked him.

"I'm going to help her out. She's family and St Claire doesn't like her on a personal level." Taylor told her.

"Yeah, not the only person from 2157, Dr Covington wants her turfed now"

"I don't understand what is going on here" Taylor said shaking his head.

"Well from what I've surmised from spending over 12 hours with a crying boy on my shoulder. Girls are more desirable to have than boys. That and the severe gender imbalance with the children brought through" Alicia said.

"How severe?" Taylor asked.

"boys are outnumbered 4 to 1" Alicia said.

"No man would ever complain about that but it bothers you" he surmised.

"The children are incredibly underweight but there are a few mothers that are healthy in comparison to their children but then you have one mother with a boy and she is incredibly underweight with a relatively healthy boy" Alicia said.

"Thoughts?" he asked.

"I don't know, it's just off. The rationing system should have worked in Aayla's favour but it doesn't appear that way. guess I'm just sleep deprived and drawing obsurd conclusions." She said in a tired voice.

"I agree and I'm sorry about the reallocating of your housing. I had no idea" Taylor told her.

"St Claire is slowly taking over" Alicia remarked.

"I can't stop her, she outranks me" Taylor said, he knew that wasn't true as he had stopped Philbrick but then they had been alone and not many people knew about that. St Claire was completely in the public eye he couldn't rebel against her openly as he would lose everything.

"Well I'm glad it's going to her and not St Claire." Alicia said with a wry smile.

"Commander Taylor, what a lovely surprise" Dr Covington said in greeting interrupting Alicia and Taylor from their conversation.

"Not a surprise I'm here to help my niece and her son get settled into her new home" Taylor told him.

"I had no idea you and Lieutenant Cross were related" Dr Covington said in such a rich tone both Alicia and Taylor fought not to say 'yeah right' as they could tell he was lying through his teeth.

"We are and I heard you are kicking her out" Taylor said.

"We need the bed in case of any medical emergencies. Lieutenant Cross can recover at home with her son who appears to be in perfect health. Dr Washington would you be a good sport and get the Metabolic Enzymes pack marked for Lieutenant Cross so Commander Taylor and his niece can be on their way." Dr Covington said.

"Of course, excuse me" Alicia said leaving them.

"Dr Covington, tell me how that woman looks healthy enough to leave?"

"Commander Taylor, medical treatment standards have changed considerably in the last few years. Lieutenant Cross is stable, she doesn't require any further attention as she can continue her treatment at home which is fluids and rest. She has the day to recover and return to duty tomorrow. The metabolic enzymes in the pack are watered down, she should be fine with it. If not I'm sure she will call and tell me all about it" Dr Covington said in a tired tone.

"She's detoxing from stims"

"If she took-"

"We both know you juiced her without consent" Taylor told him.

"Commander-"

"Don't attempt to patronize me. I'm not blind to what is going on here and she will be taking two days off. Now I will be taking my niece out of your care and from now on Dr Shannon is her primary physician. Is that understood?" Taylor told him.

"Crystal" Dr Covington said.

"Good, you're dismissed" Taylor told him, Dr Covington looked unimpressed as he turned on his feet and walked away. Taylor had no doubt the man would go running to St Claire but he didn't care. He turned around to see Aayla was looking at him with slight suspicion he didn't blame her, they didn't know one another he didn't have to stand up for her but he had.

"Lieutenant-" he started but she cut him off.

"You raz Dr Covington and say I'm your niece but call me by my rank?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure how to address you without insulting you. Lieutenant was a safe bet" Taylor told her.

"I don't know why you'd want to acknowledge me like that. We don't share blood" Aayla told him.

"Well the cat is out of the bag, I don't expect you to call me 'Uncle' or anything" Taylor told her.

"Good because I won't" she told him, he felt a slight sting at her words even though he shouldn't.

"But you can call me Taylor when we're off the clock" he told her hoping it would be a good compromise as he felt that they were family once and that was enough to revive the relation and acknowledge her.

"I know I'm off the clock but are you?" Aayla asked him.

"He is never off the clock" Alicia said as she returned with cotton bag with two 2 litre bottles of metabolic enzymes. Taylor shot her a look that she ignored but they both knew it was true. He never really stopped working, he was always on call and took a day off every few weeks where he'd go OTG for some time alone but that was it.

"Right, is that the metabolic enzymes?" Aayla asked.

"Yes, you know all the instructions?" Alicia asked.

"Dr Covington was quite clear about them. I am ready to go to my new home and crash with my little man here" Aayla said as Ethan was fast asleep on her shoulder.

"I'll escort you home and carry this for you" Taylor said to Aayla as he took the bag from Alicia.

"You don't have to" Aayla told him.

"I got a rover outside it'll only be two minutes if that" Taylor told her. Aayla gave a nod and turned to Alicia.

"Ok, thank you Alicia for caring for my son" Aayla said to her in a sincere manner.

"I don't think I did a very good job he didn't sleep and barely ate, he just spent most of his time crying" Alicia told her.

"I'm sure he was just overwhelmed by all the large open spaces. He used to living in cramped quarters and always indoors" Aayla told her.

"Well maybe if it's alright with you I'll check in with you around lunch to see how you and Ethan are going?" Alicia asked.

"Sure" Aayla said.

"Good, take care of yourselves" Alicia said, Aayla nodded her head before she turned and followed Taylor.

* * *

"Wow this is big" Aayla said in awe as they walked into the empty house. Taylor tried to control his anger at the lack of furniture. There wasn't even a couple of cots to sleep on. There was only one sleeping bag anda pillow as if there was no acknowledgement she had a kid and needed more than just a sleeping bag and a pillow.

"Once the furniture comes in it'll feel more average sized he told her as he moved to fridge to store the metabolic enzymes and was surprised to find the power was on and the fridge was chilled. He closed the door and turned to watch Aayla as she placed her son on the pillow and made quick work of opening the sleeping bag and transferring her son into sleeping bag with the pillow under his head.

Something twisted in Taylor, watching Aayla was like watching history repeat itself only the props and location were different. There was also the other factor that it hurt to watch instead of filling him great pleasure as it had when he watched Ayani and Lucas but then they had never been in an empty house sleeping on the floor.

"Thank you for escorting us home" Aayla told him. She was polite as she wasn't used to people acknowledging her unless they wanted something.

"You going to be alright on your own? I can stay" he told her.

"No, it's ok. I'll be fine" she told him.

"You're still wide awake" he told her, he knew she hadn't gotten one wink of sleep last night.

"And I will be for at least another 12 hours but I'll be lying down and resting" Aayla assured him, she wished she could sleep but her brain was awake and active while her body felt like hell. She wore a wry smile as she felt like he was vying to be her father as he gave her a look that said he wasn't impressed with her answer.

"Ok, I have to get to work but if you need anything at all give me or Wash a call" he told her.

"I will" she assured him.

* * *

Amelia sat opposite Boylan at a table in his bar. They were waiting for Alicia to join them and thus he was regaling her with stories about his military days involving Taylor and Alicia mostly. She had to admit Boylan had many funny stories and he never seem to run out of them. She burst out laughing as he finished a story. She calmed down and noticed Lucas standing at their table.

"Amelia-" Lucas started but Boylan cut him off.

"Go away Lucas, this hour is mine to woo and feed the woman. Geez between you and Dunham I feel like I have to pay for a time share" Boylan said.

"Boylan!" Amelia exclaimed, her cheeks darkened from embarrassment.

"Haha look at you go as red as a tomato. Worth it, what do you want Lucas?" Boylan said with a smile before he looked at Lucas with a serious expression.

"I was hoping to talk with Amelia alone" Lucas said. Boylan shook his head.

"Can't do that, we're eating and you have to ask permission from her guardian to court her. Until then I have to chaperone and listen to your love sonnets about how the sun glitters in her hair blah blah" Boylan said in a bored tone before the lightbulb above his head turned on and smiled. "Actually pull up a seat and go nuts Son" Boylan said with enthusiasm.

"Pass" Lucas told him.

"Oh hey Lucas, what are you doing hovering around my ward?" Alicia asked as she appeared out of no where and sat down at the table.

"He's serenading her with love sonnets" Boylan said.

"Don't let me stop you" Alicia said as she sat back in her chair looking at him.

"I was not serenading her with love sonnets" Lucas said.

"You're late" Boylan said, he waved a server over so they could order lunch.

"I was waylaid by Dunham who asked for permission to court Amelia" Alicia said which was true.

"Really?" Amelia asked.

"Don't act surprised." Alicia said to Amelia, it was common knowledge that Dunham was interested in Amelia.

"What did you say?" Amelia asked her.

"I gave him an answer so Lucas you here to ask me for permission to court Amelia or to continue to serenade her with love sonnets while we eat? because I'm starving." Alicia said. The waiter came to the table and the three made their orders quickly while Lucas declined in ordering food as he hadn't been invited to eat with them.

"I was planning to ask you tomorrow" Lucas said after the waiter left.

"Well I'm here now and as happy as I'll be for the next 24 hours. So go ahead ask" Alicia said.

"Now" Lucas said.

"I'm sure you've practiced the speech many times in the mirror" Alicia drawled with a smile. Amelia wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole o save her from the embarrassment at Alicia and Boylan teasing Lucas.

"Put some feeling into it and compliment her hair or eyes" Boylan advised Lucas.

"That won't really help" Alicia said to Boylan.

"Ok" Lucas said, he drew up a seat and sat down at the table as he didn't want to look down at them but be at the same level. "Dr Washington"

"Nice start" Boylan said, Amelia stifled a groan as she wondered how more mortifying the situation could become.

"Thank you" Lucas said to Boylan before turning to his attention to Alicia. "Dr Washington. As you know I'm started the initial stages of courting your ward Amelia. May I please have permission to continue my courtship?" he asked. Alicia looked as though she were contemplating the question like Lucas had asked her what the meaning of life was. He tried not to squirm but it was distinctly uncomfortable to put his intentions out on the table and not get an answer immediately.

"I have to think about, for a few days. So I'll let you know my answer then" Alicia said after a few minutes passed.

"Ok, well I best go and leave you to your lunch" Lucas replied, he figured 'I have to think' was better than an outright 'no'. So he didn't want to push his luck. He rose from his chair and bid them a goodbye and left. Amelia watched him leave and once he was gone she looked to Alicia and Boylan who looked thoroughly amused.

"Could you guys be more embarrassing?" Amelia asked them.

"Oh yeah we could" Alicia said with a smile before she and Boylan chuckled.

"You two are way too proud of yourselves. So not cool and what did you say to Dunham?" Amelia asked her.

"The same as I told Lucas. He'd have to wait for an answer. Anyway let me have just a little fun with this as soon it'll be entirely out of my hands" Alicia told her. Amelia gave a sigh and sunk back into her chair shaking her head.

* * *

Aayla laid on the floor and stroked the hair off her boy's forehead watching him sleep was one of her favourite pass times. A knock sounded at the door, she pushed herself off the floor and straightened her BDUs so she didn't look completely wrecked as she felt. She opened the door and immediately came face to face with General St Claire.

"Lieutenant, I hope this is a good time" St Claire said, not that she really cared.

"I'd invite you in but I have no furniture or glassware to offer you a place to sit or drink. Ma'am" Aayla told her keeping as much formality as she could.

"I don't need either just a few minutes of your time." St Claire said as she walked into the house without invitation. "Lovely home, I see your son faired well" she said as Aayla closed the front door. Aayla's back stiffened as she hated St Claire encroaching in on her space and her son.

"Yes, he's a little fatigued from the Journey"

"He looks just like his father except for the hair that's definitely your genetics" St Claire remarked casually but Aayla knew better. General St Claire didn't come down from her throne to make idle chit chat with a lowly lieutenant unless she wanted something. The fact the two had history also made General St Claire's comment hurt as it was St Claire who had executed her husband. Aayla remained silent as she stood by the kitchen island. St Claire moved back toward her.

"You're probably wondering why I am here. Well, I wanted to give you a proper welcome to the colony" She said to Aayla as they faced each other in a stand off of sorts. Aayla remained silent as she knew it was better to say nothing than be punished for being glib.

"I also wanted to tell you that you're not here for your expertise."

"I am not Ma'am?" she asked as she knew St Claire wanted her to talk.

"No, you're here for your own special mission. I need a mole in Taylor's ranks. Someone I can trust to keep an eye on him and his most loyal soldiers. You are my best candidate, Taylor is going to take you into the fold."

"I don't-"

"Poor widow with a little boy, struggling to keep her head above the water. All the earmarks that scream to man like him to help protect and nurture. Plus you're family so you're a shoe in"

"Ma'am, just because he'll help me out of a sense of guilt doesn't mean I'll be taken into the fold"

"Then make it happen, I need you in his confidence for when he mounts a rebellion then I can squash it in one go. Don't disappoint me"

"What if I can't?"

"I allowed you to keep your son. A privilege I can take away at a moments notice. So why don't you keep that in mind as motivation as I have many uses for a healthy young boy but I know we'll never find out those purposes because you always do as you're ordered and you are an exceptional soldier. Don't spoil your record now" St Claire told her as she stepped forward and pulled on Aayla's jacket as she straightened it and then dusted it as if she were dressing Aayla for an event.

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Good, so you will welcome Lucas and Taylor into you and your son's life and become a happy family unit. I will want progress reports on a weekly basis, understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am"

"I know you won't disappoint me" St Claire told her, Aayla watched as St Claire left the house. Once the door was closed Aayla immediately sunk to the floor and hung her head. She felt sick to her stomach as she felt like she was in a never ending cycle of misery. She hated subterfuge and she hated her son being used as motivation to keep her in line but what choice did she have. He was her heart and soul if he was taken away from her she knew she couldn't bear it.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Adriana the art stall owner had been very understanding about Amelia loosing her studio and luckily for Amelia offered to help store some of her work. So they spent a good hour transporting the artwork under canvas sheeting to protect them from prying eyes. After which Amelia returned to the house alone and relaxed in knowing she hadn't completely inundated with her art. It was probably a good thing she lost the studio as it would give her a break from painting as she hadn't realised how much work she had until it was piled in a smaller space. She needed to off load some before she kept going.

So to take up the time she decided to look over other mediums of art she could try, she wondered if there were new mediums that she had never imagined that she could try. Though she found her thoughts drifting to Lucas, she knew Alicia was going to allow him and Dunham to court her. She didn't know why she didn't tell Dunham no but then Alicia would want Lucas to have competition.

Amelia didn't want to be competed over she just wanted Lucas and to be kissed like she had been that night in the other house. She had only imagined a kiss like but for it to happen in reality made her toes curl in pleasure. She bit her bottom lip and contemplated her chances with getting away with tracking him down and trying to instigate another kiss. She also wanted to know about the woman that caught his eye, she wondered why he was so disturbed by her, she knew he was her cousin but she would have thought he'd be happy to have more relatives in Terra Nova.

She would be happy to have her brother around or her mom. Though is her mom was around she would be head down and buried in studies and not painting. Her brother would be driving her insane and probably telling Lucas to go find someone his own age with some idle threats. Amelia smiled as she would have liked that, to just see them and hear their voices again. Have some useless brotherly advice given to her.

She gave a sigh and sat down at the dining table as she had to remind herself that her family were gone, didn't exist yet or whatever they were. They weren't here to be with her or guide her. She had a new family now and life to follow, but it didn't lessen the grief she felt. She picked up the plex on the table and took a deep fortifying breath as she turned it on as she needed the distraction.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me" Alicia said as she arrived at now Aayla's house to find Taylor offloading furniture. She had stopped by the markets and picked up some baby things for Aayla like a bowl, spoon and sippy cup not sure of what the woman had in the house along with a couple glasses so she would have something to drink her metabolic enzymes from.

"What?" he asked as he pulled out a baby chair.

"You find her furniture but you couldn't find me any when I needed it" Alicia said to him incredibly annoyed that her endeavours to furnish the house failed because the furniture makers were inundated with orders for furniture.

"First off I only found a crib and a baby chair, so if I knew you could curl up in rib to sleep then I would have gotten it for you" he told her with a smile. He knew he would have to come clean about the reason she had so much trouble getting furniture but not yet.

"Well I'm sure with your luck people will just come right out of the woodworks donating furniture once the news spreads." She said shaking her head as she was truly envious of how the world opened for Taylor while she kept feeling like the world was forever just bitch slapping her in the face because it was fun.

"Don't get sour and help me with this" Taylor told her as he needed a hand lifting the crib components from the top of the rover to the ground. He didn't need the help but he wanted to spend time with Alicia so he enlisted her help.

"I'm not sour" she told him as she placed her bag of goods to the side of the front door and returned to help him.

"Ok, tell me why you aren't crashed out?" Taylor asked

"Because I'm waiting until it's dark. I'm starting morning shift in two days time" Alicia told him as they moved as one pulling the pieces down and propping them against the wall of the house by the front door.

"So working in the Infirmary was a good move for you?" Taylor asked her making conversation. Alicia made a face that was not very positive before she gave a shrug.

"I don't know, still in the adjustment period ask me in a month" she told him.

"I will. I still want you back" he told her as they lifted the last crib piece off the back.

"I'm not going to your lieutenant again" she told him.

"What about a deputy? Take a job near me in a civilian capacity" He said with a smile as they placed the piece with the others by the door.

"Work under Jim Shannon? I think not" Alicia told him as she moved to the front door and knocked on the door.

"Maybe I'll make up a new title for you and a rank above him" Taylor told her, the smile not leaving his face. He did feel pretty proud of himself in being able to rustle up a crib that converted into a toddler bed. He also couldn't help but smile because he felt he and Alicia were making great strides to where their friendship had been before he left that fateful day to greet the 11th pilgrimage. A few moments passed and Alicia frowned and knocked on the door again waiting for Aayla to answer.

"She can't be sleeping" Alicia said and just as she was about to look through the windows Aayla opened the door. She looked grey and her eyes bloodshot, she opened her mouth to say something but instead of greeting them she turned and ran to the kitchen sink and started retching.

Taylor winced while Alicia walked into the house not even deterred by the noise and moved to stand beside Aayla who was emptying up her stomach contents yet again. Alicia was at her side rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

He looked over to see the boy was still asleep on the floor. He moved back outside and pulled in the baby chair and the other goods into the house before closing the door.

"What's this?" Aayla asked as she was slowly recovering. He tried not to visibly wince at how unwell she looked. She definitely in no shape to be on her own with a 14 month old.

"Alicia chewed my bones saying you needed furniture. Sadly there is a shortage but Guzman and I rustled up a crib and a baby chair" he told her with a wink at Alicia who rolled her eyes and shook her head him behind Aayla's back.

"We'll work on getting a bed for you and a dining table" Alicia said as she couldn't believe Taylor shove all the credit at her. She would dispute it later but right now she was more concerned about giving Aayla all the comfort and help she needed. The poor young woman was not in any condition to be left on her own.

Aayla moved to the wooden baby chair and touched the polished surface. In 2157 she never had the luxury of such items due to the lack of space. In their small apartment she had Ethan sleeping in a portable cot on the empty side of her double bed. Her eyes burned with tears as she didn't expect so much generosity to be extended towards her.

"Hopefully something will turn up in the next couple of hours" Taylor told her as he watched her.

"You didn't have to go to all the trouble. I can make do until my pay is converted into the currency but I'm grateful thank you" Aayla said to them. Alicia smiled from the kitchen were she pulled out a few items and placed them on the bench.

"Looks like someone is awake." Alicia said.

"Ma" her baby boy garbled random happy noises as he pushed to his knees and crawled out of the bedding to get to his feet and haphazardly toddled straight at her. Aayla knelt down to the floor with her arms open for him.

"Awh. You woke up happy didn't you?" Aayla said as she held her son for moment before loosening her hold on him to tickle him. The little boy laughed in delight at the attention from his mother. "Why don't we get you something to eat? Hmm?" she asked him. the little boy nodded and smiled.

"May I?" Taylor asked, Aayla looked up at Taylor seeing he was offering to lift the boy up for her.

"Please, I'd pick him up-" she started to say but stopped herself as she couldn't be bothered explaining herself. They knew she wasn't well, Taylor gave her an understanding smile.

"I know, why don't you get the chair" Taylor said still involving her in the process as he lifted the boy up from the ground with ease. The 14 month turned his head and looked at Taylor in slight awe as he had never seen a beard. He reached out his pudgy hand marvelled at the texture which made Alicia stifled a smile, obviously having his mother close by made the boy feel safe as she had epected him to break down in tears. Instead the boy petted Taylor's face and laughed at how it felt before touching it again. Taylor wasn't bothered in the least in fact Alicia got the feeling he was enjoying the moment.

"I don't know how to use it" Aayla told him, Alicia stepped up quickly to save Aayla from any questions Taylor would have as even she was curious how a mother with a 14 month baby couldn't use a baby chair.

"Here let me" Alicia said she came forward and in seconds Alicia and Taylor had Ethan settled into the chair. The little boy did not look like he like his new chair as he frowned but after few moments of bouncing and smacking his hands on the table he was happy as he must have thought it was a new toy.

"He's a happier kid now" Alicia commented.

"He'll turn miserable in a couple hours. He doesn't travel well" Aayla assured her, she felt guilty Alicia had to put up with her child crying and carrying on and also for not being there as it was her job to look after her son.

"Then why don't we take advantage of his good mood and get some metabolic enzymes into him and then a bath?" Alicia offered to her.

"That would be great" Aayla said in an exhausted sigh, she felt retched and in need of a shower herself.

"Ok, I'll leave you ladies for the time being as I have to get to work. Aayla if you don't have a bed tonight you and Ethan can stay at mine." Taylor told her, he watched as Aayla's eyes went wide and she paled. She immediately shook her head.

"No, we can't impose" She told him firmly. She knew she was supposed to be accepting Taylor back into her life and thus be taking into his 'clique' as St Claire ordered her to do. But old habits died hard for her. She was too used to fending for herself and taking help wasn't easy for her even in 2157 it was hard to accept help and that was from her friends.

"It's not imposing-" he started to say but she cut him off.

"I just can't but thank you for the offer and your generosity. I'm just overwhelmed and need time" She told him. Taylor gave a reluctant nod acknowledging her rejection.

"Ok, well I have to go back to work. I'll see you ladies later" he said and with that he left the house. Alicia poured out a small bowl of metabolic enzymes and placed in front of Ethan with a baby spoon she had picked up from the markets. The little boy looked down at the gunk in the bowl with a curious nature before Aayla stepped in and picked up the spoon to feed him until he took over for himself.

"Taylor isn't a bad man-" Alicia started but Aayla cut her off.

"It's not personal, it's professional. I need to be able to show I'm independent and capable of taking care of my boy and myself" Aayla told Alicia as she spoon fed her son.

"7 years has really changed the world. I heard some of the women talking, they weren't too kind about you having a male child" Alicia commented casually as she leaned on the kitchen counter her hip and watched Aayla.

"I guess you'll find out sooner or later" Aayla said.

"What?" Alicia asked. Aayla looked up at her as she wanted to see how the woman would take the news.

"My husband was executed for treason. I was under suspicion at the time but later cleared of all accusations. Not that it mattered to the general population we might be declared innocent by the government but we're treated as though we are guilty by the public" Aayla told her.

"Hopefully Terra Nova will be different for you. It's also a great place to raise a kid and we are all very neighbourly" Alicia told her.

"I'm getting that vibe, I just find it incredibly overwhelming. I'm used to be ignored or worse" Aayla said.

"I see, well it's definitely going to be different as you have me and Taylor. Also our friends as well, and Boylan" Alicia admitted Boylan's name in a way that made it sound like a curse more than a gift.

"I take it you don't get along with Boylan?"

"Oh no, we're friends but it's an odd friendship. You'll know what I mean when you meet him. But yeah so don't you worry about playing tough. Ok? I know you're unwell and in a foriegn place. So we'll all help you out" Alicia told her.

"I don't know what to say" Aayla said, it had been such a long time since she had been welcomed into a place than sneered at she could almost forget St Claire's threats. But then she could just do what she did best and mix the truth with lies and lead St Claire on long enough to establish which side would be best for her.

"You can first off ask me to move in as a lodger, give me a room and I'll pay rent to you in the form of food on the table and baby sitting" Alicia told her with a smile.

"Why do I feel as if you're not going to 'no' for an answer?" Aayla asked her.

"I'm incredibly stubborn and get my way in most things. Plus you'd get me out of my current lodgings. Look it's either I move in or Taylor. Your choice"

"He wouldn't-"

"Maybe but I can tell you now the man snores like a frieght train and can't cook a decent roast to save his life. Guzman can back me up on this. At least let me move in until you're on your feet healthwise" Alicia told her. Aayla remained quiet as she thought it over. She spoon fed her son. It was a strange experience to be feeding him in a high chair and facing him instead when she used to sit him in her lap and feed him.

"You'll take the main bedroom as it's the biggest so you can fit the crib in and a double bed. While my ward and I take the other bedrooms" Alicia told her.

"A ward?" Aayla asked taking her eyes off Ethan for a second.

"Yeah She's 18 but she's so green to life she might as well be 15 yrs old. So I have to keep an eye on her. She was using the sunroom in here as a studio" Alicia said with a wry smile.

"Before you and she was kicked out. Sergeant Guzman told me this was going to be your house" Aayla said, Ethan became fussy as Aayla was taking too long to feed him so she handed him the spoon and he took over the job.

"I was hoping we could pretend we didn't know that. Anyway we weren't moved in at all. I couldn't find any furniture." Alicia said with a half shrug and look of annoyance.

"But won't you have the same problem?" Aayla asked.

"Nah, I'll just steal Boylan's furniture. Well the beds and between us we can pull enough cash to order some custom made dining room and living room furniture. Hopefully another house will free up and then we'll work out what to do with the furniture and what not but that won't be for another two months or more" Alicia said thoughtfully.

"I don't have a lot of money, my income is low" Aayla said she didn't want to explain why 60% of her wages were garnished as penalty for keeping her son. She didn't want to explain why girls were favoured over boys because they used clone armies to fight their battles. She didn't want to talk about any of it.

"We'll work it out. Anyway if we combine our income it'll work out for the better. We can make this work. What do you think?" Alicia asked her.

"I'm probably insane but ok" Aayla said even though she wanted her space she also had to take in consideration that Ethan would need things like clothing and shoes as he was forever growing out of his clothes. She also couldn't turn down free childcare either. Alicia smiled.

"Good, we'll work out all the other details later. For now we are going to Boylan's house" Alicia told her as she noticed Ethan had nearly finished his bowl of metabolic enzymes.

"Why?" Aayla asked.

"He's the local bar owner. I'm staying at his place and we're going there because he has lounge room furniture and other sundries you don't have yet. We can wash this little man in the laundry sink over there and get you two comfortable for the afternoon. You know what I think he likes the enzymes, look at him eat it up" Alicia commented with a smile as they turned their attention to Ethan who was halfway through eating his bowl of metabolic enzymes with gusto.

"It tastes much better than the rations we have been eating" Aayla told her with a closed lip smile.

"I can't wait to feed him fruit and vegetables. He's going to go nuts" Alicia told her with an excited smile.

"He probably will as he's never had anything but ration packs and tofu" Aayla said as she couldn't help but smile herself at the woman's enthusiasm.

"Ok, how about you you grab some fresh clothes for you and Ethan so we can head over to Boylan's place and I clean up this mess" Alicia told her.

"Sure" Aayla said welcoming the help even though it all made her incredibly nervous.

* * *

Amelia was halfway through reading up on other formats of art she could do besides painting. When the front door opened, she turned and saw Alicia come into the house with a baby in her arms followed by the woman that was apparently Lucas's cousin. She was incredibly beautiful even though she was on the skinny side and looking incredibly pale.

"Hey, Amelia" Alicia said in greeting with a smile, the boy she was holding was looking around the house with wide eyes.

"Hey, sorry about the mess-" Amelia started but Alicia cut her off.

"Don't worry about it, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Aayla Cross and her son Ethan" Alicia said as she lifted the boy. Amelia smiled kindly at them.

"Hey" she said.

"Aayla this is Amelia my ward and budding artist" Alicia said introducing them.

"Nice to meet you" Aayla replied with a nod to the girl. She had a bit of a hard time believing the girl in front of her was 18 as she looked like Alicia said. Like a 15 year old, with her honey brown hair twisted into a top bun she wore loose fitted top with fitted pants. But she could believe her being a budding artist as she looked at the artworks around the room noting how beautiful they were.

"They came through the portal yesterday from 2157, they have no furniture and Aayla isn't doing too good and I figured I'd help out with this little guy" Alicia said to Amelia.

"Fair enough, is there anything I can do to help?" Amelia asked them.

"Nah we go it covered here keep on doing whatever it is you're doing" Alicia told her.

"Ok" Amelia said as she lowered her head down to look at the plex.

* * *

An hour later, Aayla felt a little more human than she had the last day and half thanks to a hot shower and fresh clothes. She sat back into a plush lounge with Ethan on her chest, he was having an afternoon nap while Aayla was hooked up on an IV drip. In that hour she found herself in near tears but also relief as Alicia was genuinely welcoming to her and absolutely adored Ethan even though she had endured hours of him crying and carrying on.

"The art around this place is amazing" Aayla said.

"All done by our resident artist Amelia Jones" Alicia said.

"I feel bad that you were kicked out of your studio because of me" Aayla said looking to Amelia who was sitting on the floor at the coffee table opposite them as Alicia and her were indulging in a cup of tea and some fruit. The girl blushed and looked slightly embarrassed.

"It's ok, I'm a military brat I understand all about reallocations and anyway hopefully I'll sell some of these painting in week and half when the festival is on" Amelia said.

"You will" Alicia assured her.

"We'll see" Amelia told her.

"Amelia you're forever the pessimist" Alicia said with a slight smile on her lips.

"I'm a realist but it's better to try and fail than to not try at all" Amelia said, Alicia opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Boylan opening the door and with his usual entrance.

"Daddy is home!" he said with a big smile on his face. He looked to the lounge and immediately zoned in on Aayla. "My god, they said you were a good looking Sheila-"

"Tone it down Boylan" Alicia said shaking her head at him as he approached the back of the lounge. He crouched down and looked over the back of the lounge so he was at head level with. He looked down at the 14 month asleep on her chest then back at her.

"It's uncanny" Boylan said to Aayla who leaned her head far from his looking a little scared.

"What is?" Amelia asked him. Boylan smiled at Aayla and offered his hand out to her.

"Tom Boylan and you're Lieutenant Aayla Cross with son…" he drawled waiting for her to supply a name.

"Ethan" Aayla supplied as she took his hand. He had a very rich Australian accent and voice that made her smile for some unknown reason. It wasn't like he was an overly attractive man but he definitely had charisma in spades as he shook her hand with confidence. He realised her hand and his eyes roved her face.

"He's cute you two remind of a stunningly beautiful woman and a small child I used to know" He told her.

"My aunt" Aayla said, his smile grew warmer as he gave a nod.

"Yeah, she was a good woman but for the record this tyke is ten times cuter than Lucas when he was that small. Bet he's a real honey trap for the ladies" He said as he pointed to Ethan. Aayla chuckled and shook her head at him while Alicia smiled.

"Really?" Amelia asked as it became clear to her why Lucas had been disturbed by her appearance. Boylan looked to Amelia.

"Oh yeah he doesn't have any of Taylor's ugly genes floating in him. So what's going on here?" he asked the women.

"Just relaxing" Alicia told him.

"Yeah? I asked if it was ladies only but considering there's already a fella in the room I guess it's ok if I stick around" he said.

"He's a baby" Alicia said, Boylan turned to face her and wore a mischievious grin.

"I can be a baby, if you want I'll even sleep on your chest like him" Boylan said in a salacious tone. Alicia gave him a dower look before she spoke.

"So I'm temporarily moving into Aayla's place and taking your bed with me" Alicia said ignoring Boylan's comment.

"Why?" Boylan asked.

"Because I not adjusting well to the oxygen rich environment and Alicia has offered to help me with my son until I'm on my feet" Aayla said. Boylan looked thoughtful for a moment before giving a nod.

"Fair enough as long as you know the lounge stays here" he told them.

"Well I figured you wouldn't mind us using it from time to time and we'll be coming here for dinner until we have a proper dining set for Aayla's house" Alicia told him. That made Boylan smile.

"I don't mind being surrounded by beautiful women while I eat. Though I'll have to make an exception for him. Tell me you got a chair for the tyke?" Boylan asked.

"Yes, it's at the house" Aayla said.

"Well why don't I nip over and grab the chair and you guys can stay for dinner" Boylan said with a smile.

"Oh but we can't eat solids yet" Aayla said to him.

"Doesn't mean you can't be social while we do" Boylan said as if he were explaining something blatantly obvious. Aayla was begining to realise that no matter what she was going to be pulled into the fold with little effort

"But it will have to be an early one" Aayla said.

"It's always an early one around here. I have to work dinner shift at my place thus we eat at 5:30" Boylan said.

"Excellent, now Amelia help my move part of Alicia's bed to the house." Boylan said.

"Seriously?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah the bed is light as" Boylan assure her.

"I'll join" Alicia said to them she looked to Aayla "You two stay here and just rest" she said to them. Aayla nodded as she welcomed staying on the lounge with pleasure. She watched as the three left the room and got to work.

* * *

"Sir, you don't think this is a little overboard?" Guzman asked as they had just installed Taylor's bed into the main bedroom of Aayla's house. They had also set up the crib to the side all with fresh sheets and blankets. Guzman was all for giving the woman some creature comforts but a cot would have sufficed and saved a lot of drama as it wasn't easy pulling apart a double bed and moving it out the Taylor residence without raising a few eyebrows. Luckily they had gotten away with it as it was late afternoon so not many people were out and about.

"Only you and I know about it Guzman. So let's keep it that way" Taylor said as they were putting fresh sheets and blankets onto the bed. It had taken some logistics to get the bed there so it looked like Guzman pulled the bed out of storage and not Taylor's home.

Taylor knew if she had been any other person he wouldn't have parted with the bed but he couldn't let Aayla sleep on the floor or her son. Some part of his brain said she was family. He also knew there was a chance the boy would sleep next to his mother. He remembered Lucas when he was that small and how he always wanted to sleep with him and Ayani. Of course they let him stay until he fell asleep and then they moved him back to his own bed. He knew he wouldn't be comfortable or sleep at night knowing Aayla and Ethan were sleeping on the floor.

"Yes Sir" Guzman said not putting in his own opinion. Taylor liked the fact that if Guzman disapproved he would never show it or tell him unless he asked. Rank did come with it's privileges

"There, done" Taylor said as they finished making up the double bed. They barely stepped into the living area when the door opened and in piled Boylan, Amelia and Alicia. The three were carrying parts to a single bed and all three froze and looked at Guzman and Taylor who looked back.

"Well, well what's going on here?" Boylan asked.

"We could ask you the same" Guzman said folding his arms across his chest.

"Could we do the talking after we put down these frame bits. They aren't light" Amelia said as she, Boylan and Alicia were holding on to the single bed frame.

"Come on" Boylan said as he directed them to one of the spare rooms. After they deposited the frame they moved back into the empty living room where Taylor wasn

"So, what you two doing here?" Alicia asked them.

"Delivering furniture and setting up. You?" Guzman asked.

"Same, I'm moving in. We were going to give Aayla the bed but I see you found her a double bed" Alicia said as she looked past Guzman and Taylor. She pursed her lips and looked to them. "What a find" she said dryly as she folded her arms and looked at them.

"Don't pull face with me" Taylor said mimicking her posture. The air seem to crackle as Taylor and Alicia looked eyes.

"Uh oh Mummy and Daddy are going to fight" Boylan said mocking voice. Amelia would have laughed but it didn't feel like the right moment.

"I'm going to go home" Guzman said deciding it was better to take his leave and go home than watch whatever was going on between Taylor and Alicia go down. Boylan seemed to have the same idea as he motioned to Amelia/

"I'll get the baby chair. Amelia be a doll and get the enzyme packs from the fridge" Boylan said to her.

"Okay" Amelia said a little curious and amused. In seconds they cleared out of the house leaving Alicia and Taylor alone.

"So you want to start?" Taylor asked as he kept his arms folded.

"How is it all this furniture just appears for you while I spent weeks ending up with zip?" Alicia asked.

"You're jealous, it's not like that" he told her.

"Like what?" Alicia asked not sure what he was getting at.

"She's old enough to be my daughter and while we're not related by blood I wouldn't go there. She's family" Taylor told her, Alicia choked slightly as that wasn't what she was thinking at all.

"Oh wow no, I'm wondering why you never helped me" Alicia said as she gestured to herself.

"Because you don't need me to hold your hand" Taylor told her.

"So where did it come from?" Alicia asked him as she didn't like his excuse but couldn't argue it.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"The bed"

"Does it matter?" he asked her.

"It's your bed isn't it? and where pray tell are you going to sleep?" Alicia asked him.

"On a cot and don't start, she's a young mother and a widow. She needs more creature comforts than me. Anyway I put in an order for more furniture to be made when we first allocated you this house. It's just that it wasn't ready and won't be until next week. It's why you were given the run around about finding furniture. My fault but I wanted surprise you and it backfired slightly" He said his cheeks tinging pink and neck going red as he was embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck looking at her.

He expected her to flip out at him and start shouting her frustration at him for making her venture in trying to make a home incredibly difficult when he could have just told her he got the furniture for her but it takes a while for it all to be crafted. But no, instead she stepped forward and hugged him.

He was actually shocked that it took a moment for him to register and do anything in response. She pulled away and kissed him on the cheek and stepped away with a smile on her face.

"You're a good man" she told him with a brilliant smile. He couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I take it I'm not in the dog house?" he asked her.

"Not tonight, I gotta go save Aayla from Boylan's overtures" She told him as she moved to the door.

"Play chess with me tomorrow" Taylor told her.

"That I can do" Alicia told him.

* * *

TBC- Cya all soonish... and many thank yous for reading and reviews :D


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"How's Aayla doing?" Taylor asked Alicia, it was mid morning and they were enjoying the sunshine on the balcony of the command centre while playing chess. Taylor was already losing to Alicia but he didn't really care as he liked that she was back in his life and they were talking as friends again. It was also the second time in three days they had sat down for Chess.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Alicia said enjoying her small victories at beating Taylor at Chess, she was waiting for him to have a man tanty and challenge her to an arm wrestle.

"Because she lie straight to my face" Taylor said as he took a sip of water watching Alicia think about her next moves on the chess board. She looked beautiful in her casual clothes and hair down around her shoulders.

"She's recovering slowly but better than she was a few days ago. We starting mixing metabolic enzymes with real food so the transition isn't too hectic on their digestive systems" Alicia told him as she moved a piece on the board. She wasn't going to tell truthfully how Aayla was doing because she didn't need Taylor giving Aayla anymore special treatment than he already had. It wasn't jealousy that stopped her but the fact that she had learned in the very few days of meeting Aayla that the woman was trying exceptionally hard to be strong or appear strong so she wouldn't draw any attention to herself.

"How is that going?" Taylor asked. Alicia looked up from the board at Taylor with an amused smile on her lips.

"Ethan went bonkers when he ate his first bowl of spaghetti last night." Alicia said laughing at the memory of the sheer delight the kid had at being able to pick up something relatively solid and be able to eat it.

"I can imagine he made a mess of it" Taylor said sharing in her smile as he could just imagine the little boy being a glutton and shoving the spaghetti into his mouth with joy. He remembered Lucas doing the same thing with noodles when he was that young.

"Oh yeah but it was fun. I'm sure the novelty will eventually wear off but he's ridiculously adorable so forgiving him is very easy" Alicia said, her smile brilliant and her face lit up more than he had seen her before. He knew she always had a soft spot for kids and patience that would have made her a great mother only she hadn't had the opportunity to don the role.

"I was thinking I'd invite you, Aayla and Ethan over for dinner in the next few days. When's a good time?" he asked her as he made his move on the chess board.

"Not Amelia?" Alicia asked picking up that Taylor hadn't said her name. She took a sip of water watching his play and thinking about her next move.

"Well I want it to just be family" Taylor said as he sat back and watched her.

"I'm not related to you-" Alicia started.

"Not by blood, I know but in my books you're close enough and I know Aayla would be more comfortable if you were there. I was thinking of leaving Amelia off the guest list because I feel that if Lucas wants to court her then he should introduce her to me in that setting. Not doing it on the sly and hoping to progress the relationship faster than he should" Taylor said.

"Yes, that is something I have to keep an eye on" Alicia said in a careful manner as she didn't want to offend Taylor. She made her play and took his knight before looking to him to make his next move.

"We have to keep an eye on together" he corrected. He moved a chess piece. "So have you given him approval to court Amelia?" Taylor asked as he moved a chess piece on the board.

"Are you showing an interest in Lucas's love life to support your son or shut it down?" Alicia asked with a smile playing on her lips. She was surprised by the mix of emotions sweeping through his features as Lucas was a soft spot of Taylor's. He loved his son but he didn't love the man his son was.

"I'm not sure, I'd rather watch from a safe distance and step in if necessary" Taylor said.

"Well I've already sent them a message this morning to tell that I approve and give permission for Lucas and Dunham to court her" Alicia told him.

"Competition" Taylor said with a curve of his lips approving that Alicia wasn't just handing Amelia over to Lucas but giving others a chance to vie for the girl's affections. He also felt Amelia was far too innocent to be with Lucas and was concerned the young woman would be hurt by Lucas because of the kind of man he was. Dunham on the other hand was completely innocuous and in Taylor's opinion perfect first boyfriend material.

"Not really, Amelia and Lucas have got a thing going on and while I'd prefer Dunham to be her boyfriend it's not going to happen." Alicia said.

"What's wrong with Lucas?" Taylor asked he couldn't help himself as the words slipped out his mouth before he had time to think about it. Alicia gave him a wry smile and chuckled.

"Where do you want me to start?" Alicia asked as she made her move on the board.

* * *

Amelia sat on the floor with Ethan playing with toy wooden blocks building and then smashing their creations. Ethan loved the smashing part. She laughed with the boy as the blocks crashed to the floor.

"Now we have to build them up" Amelia told him. A knock sounded at the door and Amelia got to her feet and raced to the door. She pulled the door open and saw Lucas standing at the door step. She hadn't seen him since he had asked Alicia permission to court her.

"Amelia, I've received permission from your guardian to court you" Lucas said, his green eye lit up in excitement. Amelia smiled and watched as his expression changed and he moved towards her.

"Lucas, I-" She started but didn't get to finish as Lucas's mouth was on hers, kissing her with a passion. She had tried to push him away but melted into submission. Lucas knew he should have better control of his baser instincts but with Amelia that control disappeared along with his finesse. He lifted her up and her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed her up against the wall and continued his assault on her mouth.

He pushed one of his hands through her hair tilting her head back at just the right angle. She moaned softly against his mouth as her tongue pressed out and slid against his. He had to admit she was rather a quick learner. He enjoyed her eagerness, her scent, the feel of her-

"Uh Oh" a little voice said, breaking Lucas's attention from Amelia. He broke the kiss and turned his head and looked to source. He saw a baby boy standing up holding onto chair at the dining table looking at them. The boy looked at Lucas and Amelia with curiosity as he stuck his hand into his mouth smiling and gurgling random noises. It was like a bucket of cold water was thrown over Lucas and his libido.

"What is it doing here?" Lucas asked Amelia as he looked to her. She looked so incredibly delectable with her flushed cheeks and punch drunk gaze of a woman who enjoyed being kissed. The fact that he made her that way even more pleasurable but the moment was definitely ruined by the little boy as Lucas didn't like having an audience.

"I'm babysitting, that's what I was trying to tell you before" Amelia said breathlessly as Lucas slowly released her. She sunk onto her feet and leaned against the wall as her legs felt like they were made of jelly. She was glad Ethan was so young as he couldn't tattle on her to Alicia.

"I see, who is he?" Lucas asked in a reserved manner. Amelia frowned at him as she couldn't believe he didn't know his own family.

"He's your second cousin" Amelia said as she walked over to Ethan who was smiling at them. He definitely loved the attention he was getting in his new life in Terra Nova.

"Lieutenant Cross's son?" Lucas asked, Amelia turned to look at him just as Ethan toddled closing the distance between the chair and her leg. He hugged her calf looking up at Lucas. Lucas stared down at the boy feeling a stab of annoyance as the kid interrupted his interlude with Amelia and his presence meant he couldn't continue.

"Yeah, his name is Ethan. We were constructing buildings out of blocks and destroying them. He's really into the destroying them part though" Amelia said.

"Right" Lucas said as he continued to look at the boy. Amelia looked between Ethan and Lucas she could see the only similarity they shared was the same hair colour. She wondered what Lucas was thinking as he looked at the little boy. Amelia picked Ethan up into her arms and decided to make the introductions. She hoped maybe Lucas might warm up to the boy as they were family.

"Ethan this is your cousin Lucas." Amelia said as she brought Ethan close to Lucas. Ethan looked at Lucas with open curiosity while Lucas looked extremely uncomfortable. "He won't bite" Amelia told Lucas with a smile.

"Right, hi" Lucas said to Ethan in a formal manner that make Amelia chuckle as he was so formal. She was pretty sure he'd attempt to shake hands with Ethan if it was possible. It was obvious he had never been around children. The only reason Amelia knew how to act around them was that she volunteered at a couple of summer camps and afterschool care so her transcript would be appealing for College administrators.

"You want to play with us?" Amelia asked. Lucas looked at her for a moment, her smile so hopeful but he couldn't do it. He didn't like children and the only person he wanted to play with was Amelia and building towers out of blocks and destroying them was not what he wanted to do with her either.

"Ah no, I just wanted to tell you the good news. I should go" He told her.

"Oh ok" Amelia said a little disappointed.

"But perhaps we could have a proper date?" he asked her, she smiled and nodded.

"Sure, tell me a time and a place" Amelia said.

"I'll message you" he said as he moved to the door seeing himself out.

"Alright, say 'bye bye' Ethan" Amelia said to Ethan prompting the boy, Lucas watched as little boy looked at him.

"Bubye" Ethan said as he gave Lucas a wave.

"Bye" Lucas said awkwardly making a quick exit. Amelia watched as the front door closed behind him and then looked to Ethan.

"You're going to be killer on my romantic life aren't you?" Amelia asked she nodded 'yes' with a smile as Ethan mimicked her head movement.

* * *

"General" Aayla said, she stood up from her chair to attention as St Claire came into the room.

"Take a seat, I do love the ambience of this room" St Claire said as she walked into the Brig. She took a moment to take in the surroundings before she pulled out her hand held plex.

"I'm here because I wanted to inform you personally that my people have located your daughter Sienna" St Claire said to Mira who hadn't moved at all. The woman had an eerie way of staring at person as if she could see through mask people liked to wear to protect themselves to the inner person.

"Have you? is this how you are going to motivate me into telling you what you want to hear?" Mira drawled in a dull tone.

"I would think you'd appreciate knowing she is alive though she's in prison" St Claire said as she placed the plex on the table pushed it to Mira to show her a picture of her daughter. "Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She was a soldier for resistance fighters. She's currently serving a 10 year bid as she hadn't done anything but show up at a meet point" St Claire added.

"Why don't you tell me what you want" Mira said calmly, as she looked down at the plex and drank in the sight of her daughter. She had forgotten how time had passed in the future which made her daughter an adolescent. She then looked to St Claire who appeared to be the polar opposite of the Lieutenant in how she approached Mira and the 'interrogation'. St Claire had bold confidence while Aayla was confident yet in a more quiet and reserved manner.

"Lieutenant Cross should have told you" St Claire said looking disapprovingly at Aayle who said nothing, St Claire motioned to Aayla and the woman rose from her chair stepping back into the shadows as St Claire took her seat. St Claire lifted her chin slightly so she was looking down her nose at Mira.

"Information on the richest sources of meteoric ore and the lay of the land" Mira said looking at Aayla wondering about the game change as Aayla was taking a back seat in the 'interrogation'.

"That's it, exactly. I just need you to be a scout who gives directions. No one is going to die and in exchange your daughter will be brought through portal to work alongside you. I'm sure you can keep her in line and make her useful" St Claire told Mira with a slight curve of the lips that was more menacing than friendly.

Mira looked to Aayla who kept a neutral expression like a good little soldier before her gaze slid back to St Claire. "And if I don't?" Mira asked as she didn't like the look in St Claire's eyes. She wanted to know if Aayla had been telling her the truth about the future and the state it was in. She also wanted to know what kind of leader St Claire was and she was currently getting her answer. She was not like Commander Taylor that was for sure as Taylor respected his enemies something St Claire didn't prescribe to.

"Then you get a one way ticket back to 2157, where I'll have you and your daughter tossed outside the dome without a rebreather to share. There is a slight chance you'll survive the pollution but not those who exist in that filth and degradation." St Claire said she moved her chair to the side of the table so they weren't sitting opposite one another but sitting like they were friends.

"Lieutenant Cross has been informing me" Mira said. St Claire's eyes lit up at the mention of Lieutenant Cross.

"Did she tell you what they do to their prisoners? Lieutenant Cross is intimately aware of their practices. Aren't you Lieutenant?" St Claire asked looking to Aayla. The woman showed no outward signs of a reaction except for turning slightly pale.

"Yes Ma'am, I am aware but I felt it unnecessary to go into the gory details, Ma'am." Aayla said perfect tone of a well trained soldier. St Claire smiled as she looked down at the plex and touched the edge of the screen pointing to Sienna's picture.

"She's a pretty girl, your daughter. I'm sure our enemies in 2157 will have a real ball with her. Won't they Cross? You should tell Mira about your experiences" St Claire said her eyes glittering with enjoyment as Aayla did her best not to react as she knew it would give the woman more satisfaction. Aayla licked her lips buying time before she spoke.

"Geneva conventions don't exist. Once you're a prisoner you've forfeited your life." Aayla said in a quiet tone as she stood in the background, Guzman noted the disapproval rolling off Aayla in waves as he could tell she didn't want to talk about it. In fact she looked ready to throw up, it made sense if she had been a P.O.W. it explained the scars and her reticence to talk in great detail about what was outside the domes.

She only ever eluded thus making him and the sixers draw their own conclusions unlike St Claire who was taking great pleasure in telling Mira as she sat in her chair with front row seat to looking between Mira and Aayla for their responses.

"Lieutenant Cross is being coy, she prefers smoke and mirrors while I prefer shock and awe. But I will respect her privacy this one time and not divulge her quality time with our enemy in the future but I will tell you what they have done to civilians because as we all know military personnel are trained to preserve a little longer under harsh environments and thus receive extra 'special' treatment." St Claire said to Mira as if they were best friends. She leaned towards Mira and continued to talk to the woman.

It was clear as day that the General was relishing in telling Mira the gory details of civilian victims they had found in 2157. What their enemy did to innocent men and women, it was distasteful to listen to but nothing original or unheard of during wartime. He kept his stance against the wall observing as Aayla had ordered him. He had to admit after 10 minutes of watching St Claire, he preferred Aayla's form of interrogation to St Claire's but the general had

Taylor had partnered them up for a reason and that was so Guzman could keep an eye on Aayla and learn anything he could about her including her relationship with St Claire. He knew without a doubt that Aayla was completely submissive in regards to St Claire. One could have brushed it off as normal of course since St Claire was her superior officer but the two did not hold the same air of mutual respect and trust that Commander Taylor had with his soldiers.

In fact it looked like General St Claire was relishing Aayla's response more than Mira's. Mira was her usual calm self and as always gave nothing away unlike Aayla whose demeanour had changed completely when St Claire started talking. She had become a statue as she stood in the background and her gaze was unfocused as if mentally she was no longer in the room.

* * *

"So I have to ask how's it going with the General?" Alicia asked Taylor, she had noticed that St Claire wasn't sitting behind Taylor's desk as her usual want to do. St Claire liked to show her power by taking over and showing who was boss. She also like to use people's weaknesses against them. It had been one of the many reasons they hadn't meshed well as St Claire had tried to use Alicia's weaknesses to make her a puppet.

"Well, with her around I've found I have more free time than I like but then she believes I've been working too hard" Taylor said in a exasperated tone. Alicia knew Taylor loved his position as the Commander of the Colony and right now St Claire was showing him she was boss by forcing him out.

"Ah, so it has begun" Alicia drawled.

"Don't start" Taylor told her as she had warned him that St Claire would take over.

"When are the extra troops coming in?" Alicia asked to make him prove she was right.

"Three days from now with extra personnel to help with ramp up construction of the colony" Taylor said with a sigh. He didn't like it. He didn't want the colony populated without proper housing as he could see shanty towns being set up and that was not how he envisioned Terra Nova. Terra Nova was not about repeating the same pattern that had lead to the disaster of a future with crowding and lack of resources.

"She's not wasting time but then she isn't one to procrastinate" Alicia mumbled.

"Do I detect hostility?" Taylor asked keeping his tone light.

"I don't know, do you? by the way, Check" Alicia said with a smile as she finished the game. Taylor looked down at the board.

"How?" He asked her.

"You keep leaving your queen open. Now if you'll excuse me I have a Lunch to get to" Alicia told him as she got up from her chair.

"Not going to invite me?" Taylor asked her as he watched her pull on a jacket and fixed her hair.

"Mm not this time, Sagara-"

"Sagara" Taylor said feeling a stab of jealousy that the man was getting to share a meal with Alicia and that Alicia probably dressed up nice just for Sagara instead of him and their chess game.

"Yeah, he asked me to lunch" Alicia said.

"He ask permission to court you?" Taylor asked, Alicia laughed and shook her head.

"I'm a little old to be 'courted' and it's not like that" Alicia told him. Taylor would like to argue that no one was too old to be courted especially Alicia. The woman deserved a little romance and special attention but he kept his opinions to himself.

"Have a good time" Taylor said.

"Will do, and catch you later" Alicia said, Taylor watched her go down the stairs and inwardly hoped she had a bad time as it was the second time in three days Alicia had left him to go out with Sagara. He knew he should man up and ask her out for dinner a long time ago but then he wasn't sure how receptive she would be now and anyway it seemed like he was too late.

Sagara and Alicia had history, they had once been very happy and he remembered Ayani commenting that the two made a good match. Their only issue had been Carter and Sagara had been too proud to play second fiddle to Alicia's heart. Taylor would feel the same, hell he did feel the same. He wanted Alicia all to himself but Sagara had more going for him than Taylor did.

* * *

"Amelia"

Amelia jumped and turned around to Dunham to find him standing on the bottom step of the front verandah. She lost her grip on Ethan's hand and he ran away from her but Dunham grabbed the boy before he could even get a step off the verandah.

"Will" Amelia said as her heart calmed down from the surprise and panic of Ethan trying to run away from her. She really hated it when he snuck up on her.

"It's so weird hearing my name" he said with a smile as he adjusted Ethan on his hip completely ignoring how the boy wriggled and squirmed. Amelia was contemplating a leash for the kid as everytime they got outside he liked to toddle as fast as he could to touch plants or pull flowers out of garden beds and explore. Either way she was always chasing after him and apologising to someone not that many people minded. They just laughed and said the usual 'kids' as if that was an excuse for a kid to do anything.

"I can call you 'Dunham' if that makes you more comfortable" Amelia said some of her panic washing away at the fact he had a good hold on Ethan. It wasn't the first time Amelia had run into Dunham with Ethan in tow. She had happily taken on babysitting duties for Lieutenant Cross for the last few days as it allowed her to justify taking a break from painting before the festival. That and she just felt like taking a break.

"No, no it's actually nice to hear my name. Babysitting again?" Dunham asked he placed Ethan on his feet but held the boy by the hands and lifting up. Ethan giggled in delight as he wiggled his feet before Dunham lowered him onto his feet for a few minutes before repeating the process again.

"Yep just giving him over to Boylan, so I can get some painting done today" Amelia said marvelling at how Dunham was really not bothered by Ethan unlike Lucas who froze up and became incredibly awkward. She had to remind herself that was a first meeting between Lucas and Ethan, and that not many people were good with kids.

"Nice, how is it going?" Dunham asked. Ethan lifted his arms up into the universal gesture of 'Pick me up' and made noise but before Amelia could lift him up Dunham swooped in and lifted the boy up onto his shoulders. Ethan laughed with joy at his new position as he was above everyone else for a change and probably because the views were pretty. Who knew.

"It's alright. You know you're really good with kids" Amelia said as she admired how intuitive he was in just understanding Ethan straight off the bat. She locked the front door and stepped off the porch and started walking with Dunham at her side.

"Yeah, I grew up in an orphanage, lots of kids so I helped out before I joined the military. Kids are great. I can't wait to have some of my own but not for a really long time" Dunham said casually as they walked.

"How long?" Amelia asked, Dunham blushed. she could imagine him with a bunch of kids being a really good father. Something she couldn't see Lucas really doing but then she had never really given it any thought.

"Well if I meet the right girl maybe in five to ten years, I'm still young and I got a lot of growing up to do myself before I can take on the responsibility of having a kid" He said with a shrug.

"Wow that is very mature" Amelia told him, her brother who was roughly around Dunham age had been all about girls, beer and having a good time. So she overheard him when he talked with his buddies.

"Thanks, don't tell anyone I told you that though. The guys would rib me for it"

"My lips are sealed" Amelia said she made the hand motions of zipping her lips before smiling.

"What about you?" Dunham asked.

"Me?" She asked.

"yeah you want a family and all that stuff?" Dunham asked, Amelia was stunned for a moment that he would ask such a question as it was one of those questions she assumed guys didn't ask girls until they were in a serious relationship or about to get serious so they understood they were on the same page. She pursed her lips and thought about it for a moment and gave a tilt of the head.

"Yeah, I'd loved that but I'm a few years away from that as I'd like to live a little before I settle down like maybe when I'm 30" Amelia said it was a good number to her. She figured by then she would be somewhere close to settling down as the thought of having kids before then seemed completely daunting and honestly made her want to panic.

"I have to ask how's Lucas dealing with your chaperone here?" Dunham asked as he swung Ethan down from his shoulders and onto the ground, he had to bend over slightly given his height so he could keep a hold on Ethan's hand but didn't seem bothered by the inconvienance.

"He's not my chaperone. I'm his babysitter" Amelia told him in a dry tone.

"Right" Dunham said not believing her.

"Why don't we not talk about lucas" Amelia said.

"Soft spot?" He asked. Amelia shook her head and gave him a sly smile.

"More like I feel like you're interrogating me for information on your competition or maybe you two are more interested in one another as you both like to ask me about each other a lot" she told him.

"Nah, he's not my type" Dunham joked and Amelia couldn't help but smile at him and roll her eyes. "Ok no more talking about Lucas. Tell me are you free this Thursday?" He asked.

"Ah I might babysitting" Amelia said.

"Are you allowed company while babysitting?" he asked.

"You want to hang around me and Ethan?" Amelia asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, well he makes the perfect chaperone. I could take you two out to the orchards for a morning tea picnic. Make sure this little guy doesn't eat too many bugs. It'll be fun" Dunham joked. Amelia laughed.

"Let me check with Lieutenant Cross but for now you have a tentative 'yes'." She told him.

"A tentative 'yes' is better than an awkward 'no'" Dunham said with a smile as they continued to walk.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"I can't believe you still remember that" Alicia said to Sagara as she smiled brilliantly. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so good and smiling as much as she had the last hour she and Sagara shared lunch. He was definitely laying on the charm with her.

She had forgotten how comfortable it was to be around Sagara, it seemed easier now they no longer had to compete for military ranking and standing as well but it didn't mean they were perfect. While she appreciated his attention and company she didn't feel the same attraction she once did. She appreciated he was good looking but she didn't feel the same urge to take him home and have her merry way with him. She didn't feel that pull of attraction and lust anymore in fact it was like to was displaced onto Taylor. But she was not going to go there as Taylor would never be interested in her that way.

There was also the sad reality was she missed Carter even after all the hurtful things they said to each other. She missed his teasing and sarcasm, but it was over and she couldn't go back to him. While she enjoyed Sagara's company there was something that gnawed at her saying something wrong besides the lack of lust.

"So I was thinking maybe I could make us dinner at my accommodations" Sagara said, he had been given guest accommodations in a house on the east side of the colony. He placed a hand on top of hers, it was a mark of intimacy that Alicia wasn't ready for. She looked at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes as she knew he wanted more. The suggestion was his way of fishing for her opinion and if she wanted to go to his house for more than dinner.

"Ah-" Alicia had been about to say 'no' but stopped as she felt something- well someone latch onto her leg. She removed her hand from under his and looked under the table. She saw Ethan holding onto her calf. He gave her a toothy grin that she couldn't resist. She looked around and saw a frantic looking Amelia across the room standing next to Dunham who was scratching his neck looking embarrassed as he bobbed his head obviously looking for Ethan.

"You have competition under our table" Alicia told Sagara, he frowned and looked under the table for a second before shaking his head. He sat back in his chair, folding his arms knowing he couldn't compete with the toddler.

"Cross's kid is certainly thriving" He remarked rather coolly. Alicia couldn't help but feel a niggle of disbelief at his disapproval of children. It was one of the many changes she had noticed in his personality but this one was beyond her. The Sagara she had known loved kids and wanted kids even if it meant adopting but the one who sat opposite her had a different view.

"Yeah, a few goodnights of sleep and food helped" Alicia said as she saw Amelia and Dunham move in the wrong direction. She reached under the table and pulled Ethan up and into her lap. Now the fun was waiting for Amelia and Dunham to see her.

"Hmm how is it living with Cross?" Sagara said watching as she offered Ethan a blueberry from her half eaten fruit salad from her lunch.

"Good" Alicia answered carefully as she felt like he was looking for information than making idle conversation. She knew Sagara didn't approve of Ethan and by extension she assumed Aayla was viewed with even more disapproval. Alicia looked to Amelia who worked her way to them through the late lunch crowd.

"Sorry, Excuse us for interrupting" Amelia said as Dunham was in tow.

"Hey, what's up you look like you lost something" Alicia said with a smile as she rubbed Ethan's back.

"Yeah, Ethan. I saw you and knew he probably saw you when we came in" Amelia said, Ethan had become attached to Alicia ever since she introduced him to blueberries.

"Like a heat seeking missile. I've never felt so loved" Alicia joked as she watched Ethan reach over and stick his hand right into her fruit salad and pull out a grape shoving it in his mouth. The kid was gutsy when it came to food.

"I came to drop him off with Boylan b-" Amelia started as she looked at the busy bar.

"Oh don't worry about bothering Boylan. I'll take him, I have the afternoon free" Alicia told them, she had a feeling with Ethan in her lap Sagara would give up his pursuit of asking her over for dinner until she was less distracted.

"Oh ok, thanks." Amelia said.

"Yeah so you two kids have fun" Alicia said not so subtly dismissing them. Amelia gave a nod.

"Bye" Amelia said awkwardly,

"Sir, Ma'am" Dunham said with a tilt of head acknowledging them before he followed Amelia. Alicia smiled as she watched them go. She wished the two could be a couple but even a blind man could see there was no chemistry between them. Which was a shame as Alicia couldn't see Dunham breaking Amelia's heart as Lucas could. She turned her attention back to Sagara who was making the motions of leaving.

"Well, I should go back to work. I'll message you about dinner" Sagara said getting up from his chair, he looked at her and Ethan.

"Sure" Alicia said to him, he gave a nod and placed a few terras on the table to cover the food and tips. She watched him walk away wondering why he would leave so abruptly but the thought didn't last as her attention was pulled to Ethan who was squirming trying to reach another grape but couldn't quite grasp it.

"You're a grub but you're a life saver" She told Ethan as she dragged the bowl closer so he could grab another piece of fruit.

* * *

Aayla finished her report stating how she had gotten through the third stage of interviewing all of the sixers. What she had told them and why she was using the techniques she was with a prediction of her success rate of deriving information from the sixers. How she was making progress in dissolving the bonds of the group while subtly suggesting she didn't require St Claire attending or visiting her interviews. Her hands were still trembling and she hated it as the woman had thrown her off her game.

She wasn't sure what St Claire was playing at with her. It was like she wanted her to fail or just to keep reminding her that she had the ability to get under her skin. Aayla had lost any crediability with Mira but the woman caved in to save her own daughter from being tossed out of the dome. What mother wouldn't do that to save their own child?

"Ma'am, permission to speak freely?" Guzman asked as he sat in the chair opposite her at the table, he had been working on his plex. Probably writing up a report for Commander Taylor, she didn't care as his presence didn't interfere with her concentration and if anything there was something comforting in knowing his only agenda was to serve Taylor. Something that didn't affect her or Ethan in the grand scheme.

"Go ahead" Aayla said not looking up from her plex.

"Why did we do keep rolling the sixers in here. It's been a few days and we haven't gotten any information besides Mira's cooperation" Guzman said, she watched and saw the same disdain as she felt in St Claire's methods of gaining cooperation.

"It's about laying down the foundation. I tell them how it is going to be and send them back to their cell to think about it. It's more constructive then sitting here for hours listening to them proclaim they are unbreakable or won't say anything. We bring them back reiterate the offer on hand and send them back again and so on. I already have a list who I want to speak with tomorrow and the times" Aayla said as she handed him the plex. He looked over the list and frowned as it was a very random selection of the group.

"What we do is play with them, we have pick a few to come back for a re-meet. Some we keep here for an hour others 5 minutes. The point being is to create the illusion that some of them are starting to cooperate" Aayla told him.

"These people are a tight knit group I don't think-"

"It will work. They had to form relationships out of necessity to survive. Now their survival depends on what they can do for themselves on an individual level not for the group. Mira proves that point and her betrayal to them will help corrode the group cohesion" Aayla said.

"I don't believe it will work" Guzman said.

"You're entitled to your opinion but do keep in mind not all these people are ex-military, they weren't taught to trust the person beside him with their life or be loyal to their cause or willing to sacrifice their lives for the survival of others. These people came here because they were going to be rewarded for helping Lucas Taylor reopen the portal and knock Commander Taylor off his perch. Some were going to be rich. Others were going to have their families join them in Terra Nova. Once we establish who they used to be, St Claire will use their identities against them"

"But you don't agree with that method?" Guzman asked her.

"I don't agree with using an enemy's family members to get cooperation. It's messy and painful for the family and in most cases the family are just innocent bystanders. I speak in hypotheticals while the General does not, it's why she makes a more formidable interrogator" Aayla said, her gut churning as she remembered her dark days of captivity outside the dome and St Claire's interrogations when her husband had been accused of treason.

"So everything you and General St Claire said about 2157. Is that true?" Guzman asked.

"Which part?" Aayla asked.

"About the 'special' treatment of prisoners and what's outside the domes" Guzman answered carefully.

"You already know everything we said is true which makes think you have something else you want to ask me? So just be blunt about it" Aayla said, she knew when she was being needled for information. She looked at Guzman and she could see he wanted to ask her more than what he was. The fact he was Taylor's right hand man meant that most of his questions were Taylor's.

"You were a POW" He said it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, something St Claire decided to reveal against my wishes. Once your enemy knows you've been weak it changes the dynamic of the relationship. It gives them an edge. I guess it's lucky Mira caved in to save her daughter" Aayla said.

"So how did a Psy-ops officer get caught by the enemy? you guys usually stay well behind the front lines" Guzman asked as he knew she was deflecting him from the answers he wanted. Aayla continued to work on her plex not looking up at him. She had an air of nonchalance but her posture had become rigid.

"I wasn't always in psy-ops. Long story short, I was a grunt like you until I caught. I was held prisoner and then rescued. Then I became Psy-ops the end. Any other questions?" Aayla asked in dull tone. Guzman had a feeling there was a lot more to the story but Aayla was not going to tell him.

"I have many questions Lieutenant but I don't think it would be appropriate for me to ask them." Guzman said just proving her assumption but appreciating that he was backing off for the time being.

"Probably wise as we all have our secrets to keep Guzman."

"Yeah, you and St Claire appear to have a lot of them. I'm just wondering how much you and St Claire are holding back on us"

"We share only the pertinent information to the colony. What is and isn't pertinent is of course down to St Claire's discretion not mine. I only have one job to do and I will do it well. In return I get food and shelter for me and my son" Aayla told him, He gave a nod as he heard her loud and clear, she knew a lot more than she was letting on but wouldn't say it because of her precarious position.

"I understand" he told her, it was something he learned after the first few days with her. She worked hard but always found time for her son who was her top priority. He knew what that was like as he had been the same with Tasha after his wife had died but he was lucky in some respects as he had friends to help him out.

"I think we've done enough for today. The afternoon is yours and we'll pick up tomorrow at 9am" Aayla said as she placed the plex she was working with on the table. She rubbed her face as she was exhausted.

"Yes, Ma'am" Guzman said.

* * *

Amelia hummed as she washed her brushes, it was close to 4pm and she knew Boylan would be home soon to start on dinner as it was officially the first Dinner Aayla and Ethan would be able to eat in completion without any ill effects.

A knock sounded at the door and she placed her brushes on the side of the sink carefully before she moved to the front door. She opened the door and found a vase on the doormat filled with a mixture of flowers and paint brushes with a note on the top with her name.

She smiled as she lifted the vase and took it into the house closing the door. She placed it on the bench and picked up the envelope, she knew the handwriting was Lucas's as she had read his writing on many calculations proofs it was hard not to recognise it.

She had been about to open the envelope when she heard Boylan step up onto the front verandah. She quickly pocketed the envelope just in time as he opened the front door.

"Ah hello, how you going?" Boylan asked as he came into house with groceries.

"Good, you need a hand?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, you could move your flower arrangement to the table" He said with a grin.

"Sure" Amelia said.

"So which of your fellas gave you the flower arrangement?" Boylan asked but before she could answer he snapped his fingers. "I know it was Lucas" he said.

"You already knew"

"Well Dunham's a good egg but creativity isn't one of his strengths. Lucas well he's inventive. The paintbrushes are a good touch but might want to pull 'em out so you can put water in the vase to keep the flowers alive" Boylan told her as he unpacked the bags.

"Good idea" Amelia commented as she picked up the vase and moved to the sink.

* * *

"Oh, I can't remember the last time I ate proper food. As in a meal of solid food with more than two types of food on the plate" Aayla said as she and Alicia sat on the deck chairs on the back verandah. Ethan had been bathed and put to bed and they decided on a pot of tea. Boylan had made a roast dinner in celebration with all the trimmings and a sickeningly sweet yet delicious dessert.

"Well Boylan did go all out" Alicia said as she poured the tea into two cups on the decking floor as they didn't have a table. The air night air was crisp but the sky crystal clear with all the stars putting on a brilliant show.

"I know, we're going to have leftovers for weeks" Aayla said as she pulled her jacket tighter around herself to stay warm. She had never felt so full in years and it was a pleasant and heavy feeling. So much she was ready to go to sleep but wanted a few moments of peace and quiet with a little small talk to relax completely before going to bed.

"More like a week" Alicia told her, but then Aayla still ate only small amount of food but that would change as Aayla's stomach expanded to accommodate a proper serving of food at meal times.

"So Amelia really likes my cousin Lucas" Aayla commented, the topic had come up at dinner. Only because Amelia was asking to get out of baby sitting not that Aayla was offended as she was grateful the girl baby sat Ethan at all.

"Yeah, they have history" Alicia said with shrug.

"Hmm yes I read the reports" Aayla said. She had read every dirty detail of all the major players in Terra Nova. If someone wrote a report on it she had read it. It helped that Commander Taylor and Alicia were prolific writers. Of course there were some things that weren't written down like why Lucas 'disappeared' from the colony for five years only to return with an army but Aayla had records from 2157 to cover those basis. She knew all of Lucas's dirty little secrets from the records kept in the future. St Claire trusted her because she knew Aayla wouldn't risk her son's life to be noble and do the 'right' thing. She was right.

"Yeah, I forget you have access to everything quite a unique thing for a Lieutenant" Alicia commented as Aayla seemed to have full access to everything including her personnel files and Amelia's. It explained why she wasn't taken back by most of the dinner conversation.

"Yes, it's relevant to my work. What is that noise?" Aayla asked changing the topic as she could have sworn she heard someone or something digging but didn't want to come out and say it in case it was something completely innocuous.

"Just Guzman in his backyard" Alicia said before she shouted. "Hey Guz!"

Guzman's head and shoulders appeared over the hedge to the right of the yard. "Wash, Cross. What's up?" he asked, there was light shining from the back of his house was light enough just to make out his features. Aayla had wondered who lived next door and now she knew.

"You burying a body over there?" Alicia asked in a mocking manner. He frowned at Alicia's question giving the 'are you crazy' look for a moment before answering.

"No, just turning the soil" Guzman told her in a slightly breathless voice as he obviously exterting himself from the work. Alicia turned to Aayla.

"Guzman has a green thumb and in his spare time grows weird and wonderful vegetables" Alicia said in a teasing manner before she took a sip of her tea. Guzman made a face at her comment.

"I grow seasonal vegetables and for someone who enjoys the benefit of my hard labour for free should not be giving the grower a backhanded compliment of his work. If she wishes to have some Spinach and Kale" Guzman told Alicia in a mocking manner. Aayla hid her smile behind her tea cup as she watched the two interact it was like watching siblings.

"Talking in the third person is not attractive" Alicia replied in a tongue in cheek manner.

"Well luckily you're not my type" Guzman said as he looked at them with a smile.

"So when will the Kale and Spinach be ready?" Alicia asked.

"Next week" Guzman told her.

"Excellent, I look forward to it. You may go back to turning soil now" Alicia said in a mocking tone as she waved her hand dismissively at him as if she were a member of the higher echelon of society and he were her gardener.

"Well since I have your permission" Guzman drawled sarcastically.

"Don't give me lip." Alicia said to him. Guzman held his hands up in surrender.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll leave you two to your tea" He said to them. Alicia gave a wave.

"Night" Aayla said to be polite, Guzman gave a nod before his head disappeared and the sounds of digging started up again.

"So anyway you working tomorrow?" Alicia asked grabbing Aayla's attention as she was suddenly curious to look over the hedge and see what Guzman's backyard look like. They had never talked about anything besides work and her son. Guzman always asked how Ethan was going and she figured it was so he could report back to Taylor but at least he asked in a manner that didn't put her on edge.

"Yes, it's a half day. It's rather strange having 'half' days" Aayla remarked as she turned her attention to Alicia.

"It's Taylor's thing he prefers all new colonist and soldiers to not work long hours until they have properly acclimatised to the environment" Alicia said, she was lying through her teeth as everyone had two weeks off to acclimatise unless they were needed immediately and even then they weren't supposed to work long hours.

"Really or is it just me?" Aayla asked.

"No, it's everyone who came through. You do get the choice to work longer like St Claire and Sagara-"

"No, I'm content to cut back on my hours. Man that makes me sound like such a slacker" Aayla said with a sigh as she sunk lower into her chair. She was always an industrious person who put in long hours but since Ethan was born she had wanted more time with him. Something her C/O and St Claire hadn't allowed. Punishment of sorts as she felt they wanted to crush her under the strain and they were close. She was sure the older Ethan became the more she would have struggled as his appetite would grow and their rations wouldn't be enough.

"Not to me, if I had a kid I'd want to spend as much time with him or her as possible. Priorities change and well you've been in a war zone for the past 7 years, now you're here where is relatively quiet and peaceful" Alicia said.

"Yeah, it's like a nice holiday" Aayla said wistfully.

"Interesting choice of words" Alicia said.

"You worked with St Claire, you know the score" Aayla said, she was comforted by the fact that Alicia knew her predicament without Aayla telling her anything. The innate understanding of one another was rare but Aayla appreciated it.

"Hmm yes I do" Alicia murmured in agreement before she took a sip of her tea. "Which reminds me, Taylor wants to do a family dinner with myself, you and little Ethan" Alicia said changing the topic.

"I guess it was coming to that" Aayla said with a sigh.

"Don't get too revved up"

"Is Lucas going to be there?"

"I believe so"

"Should make for an entertaining meal. When is he hoping for?" Aayla asked, she wasn't sure how she would be able to sit at the dinner table with Lucas and Taylor knowing the contributing factor to her husband's death and the start of the war was their family squabble. A squabble they couldn't settle like normal people. She managed well with Taylor for the brief periods of time he saw her but they were always professional and he only asked after her son and her health. He was also helping her to acclimate and in a sense she was beginning to feel she owed him as he was going above and beyond for her when he didn't have to.

Lucas she hadn't even seen yet, she knew he was floating around but hadn't sought him out because she honestly didn't know what to say to Lucas and from what she read in his files she wasn't sure she wanted to know him at all. Let alone introduce him to her child but then her grandmother always told her that we loved our family in spite of who they were.

"I don't know, soon. He'll approach you himself but I thought I'd give you a heads up" Alicia said with a shrug.

"Do you want to go?"

"Well other than my fear of Taylor's cooking? It could be amusing on some level" Alicia said making a face.

"Gee, you really know how to sell it" Aayla said dryly.

* * *

"I've looked over the scans her genetic material is flawless in comparison to ours. Not the slightest bit of degradation for exposure to pollution or nuclear radiation." Covington said in an excited tone. They were sitting at the dining table in her guest quarters. There were plexs scattered on the table with data and projections of future revenue and resources. Everything on the table made her giddy as it was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

"Yes, I read over the file" St Claire said in a droll tone covering her own excitement. She didn't want Covington believing they were bossom buddies just because he found the holy grail in the mass of treasures. This one girl's DNA was flawless to anyone they had encountered and her genetic material if harvested correctly could farm a large army to finish the war in 2157 and take over Terra Nova.

"How long will we be keeping up this charade? Because I would like to begin harvesting genetic material and sending back to 2157 as soon as possible to get back to work instead of posturing around the infirmary" Covington said. St Claire was amazed that Covington wanted to leave paradise but then he was more interested in his medical pursuits which were not accepted practice in Terra Nova.

"Yes I know. I also want to know how many parts you can strip out of this girl before compromising her health to produce children. I like to keep my options open with this one" St Claire said casually.

"Well if we only take one of the ovaries and leave the uterus intact, she'll also need one kidney-"

"What if she had a donor kidney?" St Claire asked cutting Covington off.

"It depends on when you want to use her for breeding but yes if she survives and her body doesn't reject the donor kidney" Covington told her in a casual manner.

"Good, I take it all we need is someone of suitable health and compatible blood types" She said as she looked at the medical file for Amelia Jones. She needed her alive and butchered just enough that Lucas would still want to protect her but St Claire also needed to teach him a lesson for his blatant disobedience over 7 years ago when he didn't complete his job.

"There is more to it than that. But I had a feeling you would want me to produce a list of candidates at some point. So I brought one with me though we both know who you'll pick" Covington said as he handed the list over to her.

St Claire perused the list of three people who were the closest match and best donor candidates in the colony for Amelia Jones and her lips curved into a closed smile as Alicia was third on the list below two people she didn't know.

"Excellent"

"the former lieutenant isn't the best match" Covington told her.

"I don't care" St Claire said, she had a bone to pick with Alicia and she already had a plan in the works for Alicia Washington. Luckily it would work in St Claire's favour.

"Well, now we just have to get her into the Infirmary without raising too many eyebrows"

"Simple enough, I have something in the works. I'm going to remove our donor out of the picture and then Miss Jones will meet an unfortunate brush with violence." St Claire drawled.

"Tragic, please make it on a quiet day. I have to remove all the staff loyal to Taylor and the hippocratic oath." Covington told her, he rolled his eyes and St Claire knew how he felt as they had to pretend that they agreed with how Terra Nova was run and what a beautiful utopia it was instead of what it reallt was. A huge supermarket of goods for their requirements.

"I will" St Claire said, a knock sounded at the front door. "It's open come in" she said, the door opened a moment later and Sagara stepped into the room.

"Ma'am" Sagara said.

"Sagara, tell me how is your progress going with Lieutenant Washington?" St Claire said. She hoped he had made some as she could see Taylor making better progress at getting into Alicia's pants than the Major.

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Report" She said.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Amelia opened the backdoor to Boylan's house and stepped onto the back verandah. She smiled as she could just make Lucas out as he sat on the garden bench at the back of Boylan's yard. She closed the balcony door and crossed the lawn.

"Nice letter" She drawled as walked towards him. She didn't bother to whisper as Boylan was back at work. Aayla, Alicia and Ethan were at their place. So Amelia and Lucas were all alone in the backyard.

"I'm not one for love sonnets" he said as he watched her come towards her. He couldn't pull his eyes away from her, he could still hear the sexy little moans she made when they last kissed, how eager she had been and how good she felt in his arms. He couldn't wait for more but he held his positon as he lounged on the bench with one arm on the back of the bench as he lazed like a man without a care in the world.

"Yeah just handing out orders and directions" Amelia said dryly.

"Did you like the bouquet?" he asked with a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, I loved it. So why are we out here in the cold of the night?" Amelia asked as she sat down on the bench next to him.

"Because I wanted to see you and spend time with you" he said as he looked at her in the soft moonlight.

"This doesn't classify as a date" Amelia told him as she turned on the bench to look at him. She leaned her shoulder on the back of the bench and pulled one leg up and bent her knee so she was more comfortable.

"No?" Lucas asked her as he ran a hand up her bent leg and pulled it over his lap pulling her close.

"No, this is being sneaky" Amelia told him with a smile as she lifted her other leg placing it over his lap and moving closer to him.

"I like being sneaky and in fact I prefer it as we don't have anyone watching us" Lucas said he leaned in close to her.

"That we know of" Amelia said.

"Boylan is at his bar and your guardian is at her new home with my cousins. We are completely alone" He said he felt her shiver and knew it wasn't from the cold air. He smiled briefly before he leaned forward and claimed her mouth in a slow, deep sensuous kiss.

Amelia ran her hands up the front of his shirt pulling him closer. She might be a novice in the romance department she did know one thing she loved being kissed by Lucas. The kiss turned increasing hotter and more aggressive as Lucas used one hand to angle her face and his other arm and hand wrapped more tightly around her body. Trapping her to him, His tongue roved her mouth and she floundered in the overwhelming sensations of pleaure as her body heated up and tightened. It became hard to think and breath as the kiss continued and Amelia panicked as she always felt a sense of control with Lucas until now. She pushed in his grasp and Lucas broke the kiss to look down at her in his arms. They were both breathless. Amelia's heart pounded and she could feel Lucas's beating equally as fast.

"Whoa, we have to slow down as I need to breathe" Amelia said taking a breath as she felt incredibly overwhelmed and light headed. She felt like they had missed a step and jumped into the unknown, it was definitely enjoyable but something she needed baby steps to get to. Lucas smiled unrepentantly as he held her close and watched her closely allowing her to recover.

"Sorry I lost my head for a moment it's just that you're incredibly intoxicating." He told her as he ran a thumb across her lower lip, he wanted to kiss her more, in fact he wanted to strip her naked and take her on the ground. But he wouldn't as he liked to think of himself as a gentleman and he also wanted their first time to be in a bed with many hours to themselves with no interruptions or sneaking around.

"Tell me you free tomorrow?" Lucas asked her, he watched as he realised how muddled he had Amelia as it took her a moment to remember what she was doing. He relished the fact that he could do that to her with a few intoxicating kisses and that he was the only having his way with her as Dunham was too much of a goody two shoes to try anything so forward with Amelia.

"I'm babysitting" She told him, it was like a bucket of cold water and he tried hard not to scowl as his cousin's child was getting in his way of spending time with Amelia just as much as his work and his father.

"Thursday?" he asked as he didn't want to spend time with her and the boy. It wasn't that he despised the boy, it was that Ethan required attention and interaction on a level of immaturity that Lucas didn't care for.

"Babysitting" She told him.

"Is there a day where you aren't babysitting?" he asked in a light tone though inwardly feeling a little annoyed at her time being occupied with Ethan. He was being bested by a baby for Amelia's time. He had thought Dunham would be competition for time alone with Amelia but he was wrong.

"Friday and maybe Saturday but it's the harvest festival" Amelia said as she pressed a hand to her forehead trying to collect her thoughts.

"So you aren't babysitting Friday?" He asked to double check.

"Not yet" Amelia said with a awkward smile that said if she was asked then she would say 'yes' and do it.

"Then I will take you out then as you will need to be free for the Harvest Festival" he told her.

"Why not take me and Ethan out?" Amelia suggested with a hopeful smile.

"Because I'm not interested in Ethan, I'm interested only in you" he told her.

"Do you not like kids or is it just Ethan?" Amelia asked him.

"I don't see how it's relevant to us" Lucas said to Amelia. Amelia on the otherhand did feel it was relevant in a small way because she felt family was important to her. She didn't have her family but Alicia and Boylan were now the closest people she had that she considered family. She would have been lost without them.

"Well I just don't understand why you don't want to get along better with your own family" Amelia said carefully. Lucas gave a shrug as he held her close.

"My family as you call them is made up of people I detest and do not know or care to know" Lucas said in all honesty. Part of Amelia balked at how nonchalant he was about it and part her wished she knew why.

"But you could try-"

"You don't know the whole story, what I've been through or who my father really is. You've only been told one side of the story by the former Lieutenant Washington and she is my father's lapdog among her other roles. Of course she'd paint me as the villian in the story" Lucas said somewhat scathingly.

"Lap dog" Amelia said pulling back slightly as she took his insinuations as an insult. Alicia while not entirely supportive of Lucas had never openly insulted him or criticised him or Amelia's choice to be with him.

"I meant that in a complimentary way. She wouldn't be insulted as she has called me a few choice names" Lucas said as he moved his hands slowly around her hip and back pulling her close again.

"Right" Amelia remarked coolly.

"Amelia, we don't know each other that well and there is a lot about me that I want to share but that comes with time and trust" Lucas told her as if he were comforting her.

"I understand but I'd prefer it if you not talk about Alicia in such a disrespectful way. She's like a sister to me and I don't like you insinuating she is your father's whore or lap dog. It's insulting to me" Amelia said, Lucas gave a nod while mentally made a note to keep his other opinions about Alicia to himself as he knew it wouldn't endear Amelia to him.

"Then I won't. Forgive me?" he whispered to her, he cupped her face and brushed his thumb over her lips as he watched her eyes darken with desire. He didn't wait for an answer before kissed her again.

* * *

"Ethan! Slow down" Aayla called as she had to chase her son, he giggled as kept toddling at a fast pace. She had to sift through the afternoon crowd while Ethan had a natural ability to zip through the people. He thought it was a game while she was scared he was going to get run over or hurt.

But he didn't get far when Taylor picked the boy up and held him up looking the boy in the face.

"Whoa, where you going so fast little man?" Taylor asked, he had just stepped out of the research labs to see Ethan barrelling along with Aayla behind him. She was still suffering and not fast enough to keep up with Ethan. The little boy giggled mischievously and waved a hand at him.

"Hello" he said but it sounded more like 'Heywhoa'. Taylor made a habit of dropping by Aayla's house on a daily basis to check up on them and in that time Ethan had become familiar with him and was no longer shy. Taylor smiled at how energetic the boy had become in his first few days in the colony.

"Thank you" Aayla said as she caught up to them, he could see the fatigue written in her face. But she looked healthier, her skin wasn't as grey and while she still was too skinny for his liking he felt some pride in knowing she was on the mend and he was a part of that. He had thought being near her would be a constant reminder of Ayani and the pain of her loss but instead he found a sense of peace. He also secretly loved that they reminded him of his memories of Ayani and Lucas when Lucas was Ethan's age. He knew Aayla was not his wife and Ethan was not Lucas it was nice to know he could remember more than the all the good memories were still there and hadn't been overtaken by the horrible ones.

"Just luck on my side, you going home?" Taylor asked her.

"Yes" Aayla said, she didn't want to point out that it was his fault she had shorter hours because she was grateful. For the first time since giving birth to Ethan she was able to spend more time with him than before all because he and St Claire 'talked'. She had a feeling St Claire allowed Aayla's roster change to keep Taylor on her side and open up time for Aayla to 'reconnect' with Taylor to become a spy within his ranks.

Something that she didn't have a choice in but she had decided for the sake of her own conscience that she would give as little information for as long as possible. She knew if she gave St Claire everything she wanted wrapped in a bow Aayla and Ethan's stay in Terra Nova would be over. Something Aayla wasn't ready to give up.

"St Claire told me Mira broke" Taylor remarked as he placed Ethan on the ground but held the little boy's hand. He tried to get ahead but had trouble dragging Taylor behind him. Aayla smiled as she watched her son pull and tug on Taylor's arm to get him moving at a faster pace but failing as Taylor in good humour carefully lifted the boy off the ground by the hand he was holding and placed Ethan on his feet beside him again only for Ethan to repeat the process.

"To save her daughter, St Claire strong armed her." Aayla told him, Taylor noted the disdain in her voice.

"You don't approve" Taylor said. Aayla shook her head and shrugged.

"I'm being petty, I have my own process that's all" She said as she felt she had to walk a fine line with what she said about St Claire. Something about Taylor made her feel like she was forever being judged unlike with Guzman where he seemed purely curious.

"Fair enough, I was wondering if you, Ethan and Alicia would be interested in coming over for dinner sometime" Taylor said.

"I don't know" Aayla said apprehensively, Alicia said he would approach her she had kind of hoped for a few days to pass before then.

"No Pressure" He told her.

"Says the man who has sourced me a double bed and a crib along with food" Aayla said looking at him.

"It's what we do here in Terra Nova. We help one another though I'll admit I did go out of my way because I know we aren't related by blood but I think of you and Ethan here as family" he told her.

"I guess we could do dinner on Friday" Aayla said carefully.

"Afraid of my cooking?" Taylor asked.

"Should I be?" Aayla asked back, Taylor laughed.

"Nah and worse case scenario we can go to the Mess" Taylor said.

"Do you want me to bring anything?" Aayla asked him as they continued walking.

"No, just yourself, Ethan and Alicia. I got a high chair" Taylor said, he had to stop momentarily as Ethan had stopped and made hand gestures for wanting to be picked up instead of playing their game. Taylor lifted the boy up onto his hip.

"Of course you do" Aayla said as was sure he didn't miss a beat with anything. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Ethan petted Taylor's beard marveling at the texture. It didn't get old to watch her son thrive and marvel at everything in Terra Nova from plants to facial hair. It was also amusing as Taylor was a man of power who garnered respect and was feared by many and here he was having his face petted by a 14 month old like he was puppy dog.

"You find something amusing Lieutenant?" Taylor asked with a quirk of a smile as he knew she was smiling at Ethan more than him.

"No, Sir" She said as she looked forward.

"Good, how's 17:30 on Friday?" Taylor asked.

"We'll be there" Aayla said, she knew it was best to have the dinner than to reject his offer and she owed him.

* * *

"Thank you so much for helping with this" Amelia said to Alicia as they setting up Alicia's old bedroom in Boylan's house into a proper studio space for her.

"Don't mention it. I'm a little curious as to why Lucas isn't here. You two would have the house to yourselves" Alicia drawled in an insinuating manner as she opened up the shutters to let in more light.

"I-No" Amelia stuttered.

"No? Did Lucas do something -" Alicia started but Amelia cut her off.

"No, he's just really intense lately with the whole 'being free' and I'm a little overwhelmed by him and all this courtship stuff" Amelia confessed making a face as she knew it sounded bad but she trusted Alicia to give her advice.

"Yeah let me guess Lucas is acting like a starving man at a buffet table in regards to you?" Alicia asked ignoring Amelia's comment about courtship as she knew that was a lie. Being courted made dating simple as there were rules and expectations of conduct. One didn't just hook up courting involved wanting a long term relationship. If a man or woman wasn't interested in putting in the effort then that was there choice but at least both parties knew where they stood.

"I guess" Amelia said her cheeks burned red as she knew Alicia was probably thinking the worst of her now. All she had to do was wait for the quip about it being lucky that Amelia had been given a contraceptive injection. When she and Lucas hadn't even gotten past kissing and heavy petting.

"You know you don't have to do anything you don't want to" Alicia said casually even though she inwardly wanted to sucker punch Lucas in the stomach for disrespecting Amelia and bypassing the rues his father put in place to minimise young women from being used for sex and being hurt emotionally because of it. But she understood that Amelia didn't need a full blown lecture but someone to talk to.

"I know" Amelia said feeling her face burn even more as she wanted to go 'the whole way' with Lucas but part of her was not ready and also very afraid of disappointing Lucas in that department. The fact that she never got any attention from boys her own age back in 2012 thanks to her mom and brother.

"Good because 'No' means 'No' and if he crosses that line with you. Then let me know, I will make him sorry he even looked at you funny" Alicia said with a smile playing on her lips as she felt for Amelia. She was pretty sure the girl couldn't get any redder in the face than she already was with broaching the subject. But Alicia needed Amelia to know that she was here for her and happy to kick any man's ass if they crossed her.

"I don't think that's necessary" Amelia said turning away and moving her finished paintings to the side of the room.

"Ok, just know the offer is there and that you can tell me anything in confidence." Alicia said.

"I know" Amelia replied, Alicia gave her a soft smile and nodded.

"Good. Now as for Lucas, he is supposed to betreating you like a lady which means hands in the green zones above clothing and no hanky panky before your wedding" Alicia joked.

"Now you're just baiting me" Amelia said in an exasperated tone.

"I am and I'm pretty sure if you go any redder you might get a nose bleed or something. So tell me when are you having your first chaperoned date?" Alicia asked as she went to stacking pots of paints onto the shelving in the room.

"Huh?" Amelia asked.

"Lucas and Dunham. I'm wondering when I should be freeing up my time" Alicia prompted.

"You serious?" Amelia asked making a face.

"Yes, you might be a legal adult but let's admit it. You're a little out of depth here with Taylor's rules of courting and what the expectations between a man and woman are by 22nd Century standards" Alicia told her.

"I guess"

"So who got in first?"

"Dunham"

"Nice, when?" Alicia asked, Amelia didn't like how excited Alicia sounded at the idea of joining her on a date.

"Tomorrow for a morning tea picnic" Amelia told her. Alicia frowned.

"Aren't you babysitting?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah I am, Dunham asked me out and was happy to take Ethan along with us." Amelia said, she liked that he was willing to let Ethan tag along as it meant she could have their date and not worry about him coming on too strong with her. She also didn't have to say no to babysitting duty which she knew was helping Lieutenant Cross out and it made her feel good to help out. It also didn't hurt that Ethan was incredibly adorable.

"Well then you should be fine without me" Alicia told her.

"Really?" Amelia asked.

"You have Ethan, he's the best chaperone"

"He's a baby"

"The son of Lieutenant Cross who is Commander Taylor's neice. That makes little Ethan practically royalty. No soldier would want something bad to happen to him while on a date with you. So he'll be on his best behaviour" Alicia said smugly. She also trusted Dunham even if he wasn't the best soldier he was a hard worker and a good kid. She also had to admit it was a smooth move inviting Amelia out and helping her babysit in off duty hours.

She could imagine that he wanted Amelia to his best side and the possibility of what a future would look like between them. If she miraculously ended up picking him.

"Great"

"When's Lucas taking you out?"

"Friday, do you really have to chaperone?"

"When on Friday?"

"Lunch I guess? He hasn't given me any specifics"

"Go to Boylan's and keep it public. It's hardly fair that Dunham gets a chaperone while Lucas gets free reign" Alicia said jokingly.

"I guess so" Amelia said quietly.

"Also it's just you and Boylan for dinner on Friday" Alicia told her.

"You got a date?" Amelia asked thinking Alicia was going out with Sagara and she could finally get her own back and tease Alicia for a change.

"No, I'm having dinner at Taylor's with Aayla and Ethan" Alicia said.

"Oh ok" Amelia said it was as if Alicia could read her mind.

"You weren't snubbed. Taylor wants Lucas to formally introduce you to him and state that he is courting you so Taylor can approve of you in his own way. He doesn't want Lucas being sly and making declarations he isn't serious about. It's to protect you not a rejection" Alicia said.

"I understand" Amelia said even though she didn't but felt it was best to say so.

* * *

"Working hard I see" St Claire said, Lucas turned to see St Claire looking through one of the holes in the chair. She gave a closed lipped smile like she had a secret.

"Yes, I'm trying to solve the instability issues in maintaining the portal" Lucas said turnign his attention back to the Calculations being projected in front of him in floating scripts.

"Any luck?" She asked as she walked around the back of the seat. He wondered how she came into the room without him knowing but remembered he had a way of getting lost in his work.

"Some" He replied as slid his eyes to his side to see her standing with her arms folded across her chest. She wore fitted black BDUs and her hair severly quaffed in a french roll. She was beautiful woman but a real viper and her presence made him nervous as he knew she didn't come here for a progress report.

"Tell me about Amelia Jones" St Claire said looking at the calculations. Lucas's insides froze as he knew exactly where she was going with her line of thought.

"She's a girl" Lucas remarked with a neutral tone.

"A girl you're interested in. In fact very interested in as my spies saw you two in a rather heated exchange in Mr Boylan's backyard. You're a very naughty man" St Claire said with a smile playing on her lips as she finally looked at him. Lucas tried to put on a neutral expression but it didn't work as he wondered why she was spying on him and angry because he wanted Amelia and now he had made her a target for St Claire.

"My social life is none of your business" Lucas told her coldly. St Claire's smile grew wider as she turned her attention back to the holographic projections in front of her.

"Considering I'm the reason you have a social life I think it is most definitely my business. I want to know how I can get more of her" St Claire said idly as she walked to the other side of the room and continued to look at the calculations.

"I don't understand" Lucas said.

"I think you do." St Claire said in a teasing tone. Lucas gave a sigh and sat back in the chair.

"All the fractures to the 20th Century are incredibly degraded. At least the ones I've found so far" Lucas said back peddling as he didn't want Amelia to be a target for St Claire.

"Then there are more?"

"Many"

"Investigate it for me, find me those fractures" She told him.

"And what about Amelia Jones?" Lucas asked.

"If you find viable alternative sources for women of equal quality genetically speaking then I have no interest in her. She would be my reward to you" St Claire assured him.

"I'll find you your resources" Lucas said.

"Good, now to make sure you don't drag your feet. You have 60 days to find one viable fracture before I get interested in her again" she said as she sat down next to him in the chair. She was looking at him with a patronising smile.

"Tell me when are you going to take over the Colony?" Lucas asked. St Claire gave a throaty laugh.

"Like I'd tell you" She said as she looked at him. Lucas looked to the calculations hoping she would go away.

"Tell me why you're still here" He drawled as he could see in his peripheral vision she was making herself comfortable.

"I'm wondering how life is going with your family and your father" St Claire said.

"Same as always" Lucas said.

"Have you reconnected with your cousin and her kid?" St Claire asked.

"I believe I'm having dinner with her tomorrow night. I've already met my second cousin. He is a child with meagre language skills, I have no interest in knowing. The same goes for his mother. We might share blood but it does not mean I have to care about them. Is that all?" Lucas asked.

"Is it because she looks just like your mother Ayani?" St Claire asked her tone was anything but idly as he knew she was baiting him to see his reaction. He tunred his head and looked at her dead on.

"Lieutenant Cross may share familial traits like hair and eye colour but reminds me of a chess peice. From what I can tell she's just a 'pawn' while Major Sagara is your 'knight'. I look at her and I feel no visceral reactions or reminders of my mother." Lucas drawled coldly.

"Touchy" St Claire said.

"You brought her here to throw my father off" Lucas said.

"More like occupy him." St Claire told him as she raised her chin slightly to look down her nose at him. She truly had no respect for him and his analogy that she viewed people in her ranks as chess pieces. He idly wondered where on the board he sat and role in what was to come.

"Congratulations, you have accomplished your goal there" Lucas told her.

"I know, I am rather proud of myself but I'm not here to gloat" St Claire said as she rose from the chair and straightened her jacket.

"No?" Lucas asked in mock disbelief looking up at her. She smiled coldly at him.

"No and the equation on the tenth page is incorrect" St Claire told him before she left the room. Lucas looked to the page and saw she was right about the equation being incorrect.

* * *

_TBC- Cya all soon and thank you to all of those who gave me reviews :-)_


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